‘Broken glass all over’: Boise Bicycle Project building damaged ahead of event for kids
A vehicle crashed into the Boise Bicycle Project’s building near Boise State University early Friday morning, causing damage to the outside of the structure, busting a window and damaging interior offices.
The incident happened as the Boise Bicycle Project prepares for its busiest weekend of the year, when it gives away 600 bicycles to area children on Dec. 16.
At about 2:45 a.m., Boise police officers responded to the scene near Island Avenue and Lusk Street, according to spokesperson Haley Williams. The 23-year-old driver was arrested and booked into the Ada County Jail on suspicion a driving under the influence, Williams said.
Devin McComas, executive director of the Boise Bicycle Project, got to the shop on Lusk Street early Friday morning to find a hole in the wall of the building covered by a tarp.
“It was obvious that our bike racks had been completely run over,” McComas said in a phone interview. “The bottom half of the cinder block wall was sagging, the tiled windows had been blown out. There was broken glass all over.”
McComas said employees of the organization had moved out of their office spaces because it appeared there was structural damage to the area where the car hit.
“Our staff is hard at work running 10- or 12-hour days, getting bicycles ready for community members,” McComas said. “Today has been a day where we’re still pushing and we still have a bunch of volunteers, but a lot of our bandwidth is going toward making sure that we have a plan for what’s happening with our building.”
McComas said the bicycle project wants to make sure it delivers on its promise to the nearly 600 children who receive bikes as part of its annual holiday giveaway, which is a week from Saturday.
Quick to find a way to turn the difficult situation into a motivator, McComas said the crash is “a great example of why we advocate for safe streets for everyone.”
“We advocate for improved infrastructure and enforcement, and better policy, so the roads are safe for everyone to use,” he said.
Anyone looking to support the Boise Bicycle Project can “Adopt a Dream Bike” at boisebicycleproject.org. The donations will help the organization “dreamify” the children’s bikes — meaning ensuring they get the color they want or the bicycle has a Popsicle launcher, McComas said.
“The kids are referred to us by social workers or counselors,” McComas said. “And as part of the enrollment process, we get their measurements and they draw us a picture their dream bike. For months, volunteers work to make sure those bicycles are running and safe.”
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