The City of Tucson and bicycle advocate Jean Gorman are teaming up to make improvements to the area around the bike church memorial at Granada Avenue and Davis Street.

Jennifer Donofrio, a planner for the city, said Gorman wanted to help make the bike church more of a destination for cyclists and their families after her Catalina Highway bicycle trailhead project stalled.

Donofrio said they are in the preliminary design and development stage, but hope to have a good portion of the project done within a year.

The revamped sanctuary will feature white bike racks and benches and engraved pavers that will be placed inside the bike church and around the park area.

“All the extra bricks that don’t fit in the boundaries of the bike church will flow out and create a path within the sanctuary,” Donofrio said.

Gorman said she is still holding out hope for a memorial on Catalina Highway, but wanted to work with the city to get something put in quickly.

She said she was going to send letters to the people who have already purchased pavers for the Catalina trailhead to see if they would like to have them placed at the bike church instead.

The city’s bike and pedestrian coordinator, Tom Thivener, said there is not a big construction budget to enhance the park around the bike church, but he hopes they can get plants and trees donated to help improve the area.

At some point in the future they want to add car parking on the site too.

“A lot of the people who have lost loved ones, their primary way of getting around is an automobile,” Thivener said. “It is just to accommodate everybody that we can.”

Gorman will be selling pavers at the GABA Bike Swap this weekend and the El Tour de Tucson expo.

If you want to purchase a paver, you download the order form here.

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