By Jake Mathias

Bicyclists now have a sturdy, safe place to park while downtown.

Despite the rain, crews from the city’s Department of Public Works were able to install 10 new bicycle hitches along the downtown portion of Main St. on Friday. The hitches were vertically leveled and bolted into the concrete, a process which took about 15 minutes per hitch.

The City Council unanimously approved purchasing 10 new bike hitches at a cost of $1,465 in July. The proposal moved through local government quickly after the advocacy group Revisioning Point made a presentation on bike hitches in May.

The hitches hold two bikes each and can be found in front of the following locations:

• Indulgence Wine Bar
• The Fox Theater
• Gepetto’s Workshop
• 1055 Main St. (former Jim Laabs Music Super Store)
• Jim Laabs Music
• Blue Bead Trading Company
• Tech Lounge
• Divepoint Scuba and Paddle Adventure Center
• Portage County Public Library
• Five Rings Martial Arts

Most of the old bike racks will remain downtown but a particularly worn rack in front of the library will be removed by city crews soon.