Frank Quintero, Merced’s Development Manager, summed it up at the January 20th Merced City Council meeting when he said, “Merced has been deemed a ghost town, and now has the opportunity to be a host town.”

On February 18th, national and even international attention will be focused on Merced, and this time, it will not be due to grim home foreclosure statistics.

By unanimously approving a participation agreement with AEG Cycling during the meeting, the Merced City Council confirmed Merced’s role as host for Stage 4 of the AMGEN Tour, known as the Alpine Route of the famous bicycle race. Stage 4 of the race will start in Merced and end in Clovis, after winding through Mariposa.

The race will prove to be a challenging event - - basically a shorter, American version of the Tour de France.

Describing the part of Merced to be traversed, Quintero announced that teams from the Tour de France, including five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, will travel the Downtown Loop twice.

The 18 world class professional cycling teams, representing over 24 countries, will begin the loop on N Street at 18th Street. The bicyclists will ride to Main Street, to K Street, to 18th Street, to M Street, to 21st Street and back to the starting point. After the loop, the racers will exit town by riding northbound on M Street, eastbound on N. Bear Creek Drive, southbound on G Street, and eastbound on S. Bear Creek Drive to Cunningham Road.

The timed race begins at S. Bear Creek Drive and McKee Road.

Quintero explained that “the Lance factor” is huge. Even more interest than usual has been generated since Armstrong is coming out of retirement to race.

Quintero said, “Currently, Lance Armstrong is racing in the Down Under in Australia. On Day 1, there was a crowd of 138,000.”

Although the race is expected to bring 20,000 spectators to Merced, there could be a larger crowd.

Describing the 2009 AMGEN tour as a “nine-day race stemming from Sacramento to Rancho Bernardino in the Southern California area”, Quintero said over $100 million will be generated in economic benefit from visitor and tourism services to the state.

Merced will benefit economically from providing meals and hotels to the racers and crews. About 800 people will be traveling with the tour, including riders, event staff, and media.
Quintero exclaimed, “100 international media representatives will be here!”

The cost to Merced to host the event is estimated at $65,000 to $80,000. So far, $32,000 in donations has been received. The sponsors are AT&T, Merced Mall, and Golden Valley Health Centers. The city is seeking further financial contributions and in-kind donations for meals, banners, printing and media.

A Local Organizing Committee, consisting of 13 directors, will meet weekly, and is expected to raise all the necessary funds to cover the local costs designated in the participation agreement. The chairperson of the committee is Karen Baker of Merced Visitor Services.

The committee is planning a pre-race Lifestyle Festival, the theme of which is being healthy, and there will also be a cancer awareness village. Quintero praised Melissa Kelly Ortega for securing wellness vendors for the Lifestyle Festival.

After the racers leave Merced, there will be a Community Fun Ride sponsored by the Merced Mall where people can ride their bicycles on the same course.

Quintero announced, “We need 250 to 300 volunteers to manage the tour.”

The responsibilities Merced has undertaken in connection with the race are such things as police services, local road closure services, EMS/EMT services, portable restrooms and trash removal.

By way of background, Merced’s involvement in the 2009 AMGEN tour came about when AEG Cycling, LLC and the State of California Division of Tourism solicited it as a Start City. For the benefit of the 1.6 million spectators expected to be watching the event, only the more beautiful locations and cities in the state are chosen, to be truly representative of California.

Quintero said that among other things, AEG will provide banners and balloons, and the Merced portion of the race promises to be a colorful and vivid visual treat for the eyes.

In other Merced City Council news,
Council establishes Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)

During the meeting, the Council voted unanimously to establish a Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) to deal with cycling issues in Merced, except for pedestrian issues connected with bicycling.

The BAC will encourage bicycling as an alternative form of transportation, to promote good health, lessen traffic congestion, and improve air quality. The BAC will have seven members and meet every other month to discuss city plans and projects, review ordinances and form long-term plans. Several BAC members will come from Merced area bicycling organizations. The members of the Merced Bike Coalition, advocates of the Committee’s formation, were pleased with the decision, as well as a decision to apply to the League of American Bicyclists to designate Merced as a Bike Friendly Community.

The approximate cost for the BAC will be $25,000 a year. John Bramble, Merced’s City Manager, explained that when creating a formal committee under the state’s Open-Meeting laws, certain things must be done, such as preparing agendas, minutes, reports and doing mailings, and there are associated costs.

When Merced Mayor Ellie Wooten questioned the amount, he said that the additional cost for staff time should be able to be absorbed within the existing budget for this year, and that some costs are one-time only.

Jared Stanley, a bicycle commuter who rides ten miles a day, came to the podium to encourage the Council to approve the formation of the BAC. He commented that as of January 1, 2009, there is a tax credit for those who commute via bicycle, and he is in the process of applying for this with the help of his employer, UC Merced.

MCAG Task Force will address homeless issues

During the meeting, Flip Hassett, Executive Director of the United Way in Merced, announced that an MCAG Task Force has been established to address homeless issues in Merced. The nine-member task force represents the public sector, private sector, faith-based groups and non-profits. One of the members is Ana Pagan, head of the Merced County Human Services Agency. The task force will network with the Salvation Army, Community Action Agency, churches, non-profits and the private sector, and the goal is to work toward a 10-year plan for the homeless to transition to permanent housing. The MCAG Task Force will meet for the first time on January 23, 2009 to set up, and after that, the meetings will be open to the public.

Individuals recognized for outstanding efforts in organizing Art Hop

Mayor Wooten recognized the following individuals for organizing Art Hop: Kimberly Zamora, Staci Santa, Tami Davidson and Kevin Hammon. Everyone is encouraged to attend Art Hop. The event will be held on January 24th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Main Street, between 16th and 18th Streets, and between Martin Luther King Boulevard and 18th Streets. There will be a reception at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center with free food from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. Art Hop will feature local artists, dancers and musicians. All the Merced businesses participating will host a different artist.