Help Bring Bike Repair Stations to Ocean City

Joseph Tordella sees three things at the corner of Ninth Street and Haven Avenue in Ocean City:

1. A bustling intersection for bicycle traffic — where bicycles coming off the new Route 52 causeway will meet the Haven Avenue Bicycle Corridor.
2. A public bicycle repair station that would allow cyclists to pump air into their tires and perform basic repairs.
3. A little extra credit for Mr. Coons' environmental science class.

Tordella is a 17-year-old Ocean City resident and rising senior at St. Augustine Prep in Buena Vista Township, and he's working on a community service project that could bring bicycle repair stations to Ocean City.

Tordella learned about the equipment in his environmental science class, and he saw a need for it in his hometown.

The repair stations include a tire pump, basic tools, a stand to lift bicycle frames and a QR code that directs smartphones to repair instructions.

The equipment is manufactured in Minneapolis by Dero Bike Racks and costs approximately $1,200. To learn more about the product:

• Visit the company website
• Watch a YouTube video

"Ocean City, a town which emphasizes the use of bicycles, especially throughout summer, would greatly benefit from this project," Tordella said.

Tordella is raising money to buy repair stations by soliciting local businesses and the City of Ocean City. He said he has raised almost enough to pay for the first one, which would be placed at the at Ninth Street and Haven Avenue. He would like to fund additional stations at other locations in Ocean City.

He said the city has made a matching offer: If he can fund one bicycle repair station, they will purchase a second one.

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To learn more about how to help: email Tordella at josephtordella@me.com
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The push to buy bicycle repair stations is not Tordella's first public service project.

Working with Ocean City Airport Manager Bill Colangelo, to by a "Welcome to America's Greatest Family Resort" sign for the airport.

The project was part of Tordella's work to achieve Eagle Scout rank with Troop 32 in Ocean City.