But Rita had a run-in with Town Center management last month that fired her up to make a call to the Department of Burnt Ends.
The thing is, this grandma is in training for a breast-cancer-research marathon in Florida, and cycling is part of her training. Plus, she doesn't want to spew more pollution into the air just to travel a few blocks from her house. So she recently decided to leave her car in the driveway and pedal from her home in the Hallbrook subdivision to Town Center Plaza.
Little did she know that the sprawling complex doesn't look kindly on shoppers who arrive on two wheels.
As far as she could tell, there weren't any racks to lock up her bike. Nervous about leaving her ride unprotected while she shopped, she dialed the Town Center office.
"I asked, 'Am I missing something? Can I not see the bike racks?'" she recalls. The woman on the other end of the line told Rita that she wasn't missing anything. There aren't any bike racks because bikes and skateboards aren't welcome at Town Center.
"I said, 'Wait a minute. Are you not green? Are you not eco-friendly?' She left for a minute to ask someone and came back and said, 'We don't want you up here on your bike.'"
Outraged at the thought of such cyclist discrimination, the Department of Burnt Ends called Scott Schroeder, spokesman for Town Center. He told us, in a decidedly annoyed and monotone manner, that bikes are allowed, just not on the sidewalks. As for shelling out a few bucks to promote car-free trips by putting in a couple of racks so cyclists don't have to worry about their bikes being swiped, Schroeder yawned that Town Center had not considered it because there had been no requests.
So what's an eco-friendly commuter to do? The Department of Burnt Ends called the administrative office, posing as a cyclist trying to figure out where to park a bike while spending some bucks. Perhaps schooled by Schroeder since Rita's original call, the woman who answered didn't ban us from the premises. But she wasn't very helpful, either.
"I don't have any recommendations," she said.
As for Rita. she's recommending that eco-friendly shoppers take their bikes — and bucks — elsewhere. This grandma found out that Town Center isn't about the eco-friendly commuter.
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FWIW here is a letter that Town Center has been sending people who write them about this issue:
---
Thank you for your e-mail and for giving us the opportunity to give you accurate information. Actually no, it is not true that Town Center Plaza does not allow bicycles.
I must admit the management team at the center was surprised by both the direction and the tone of the article. Town Center Plaza welcomes our cyclist community, and Mr. Schroeder (the DDR spokesperson quoted in the article) is an avid cyclist himself. In fact, a local cyclist group meets here weekly ending their ride at Panera Bread for refreshments. One part of the article is correct. We have not had any requests for bike racks and as such it had not been entertained until recently.
In June of this year, Town Center Plaza began extensive investigation into a "Green" initiative directed toward doing our part for the good of the whole. The first and most immediate change you will see is the replacement of the old incandescent lighting formerly used in our holiday decor with new energy efficient LED bulbs. In addition, we are currently investigating the introduction of Hybrid vehicles for use by our operations team. Other initiatives will include more efficient use of HVAC at the center, education of our merchants, lighting timer settings, and in general a review of how we are conducting day-to-day business as it relates to this subject. Recently, I attended a seminar hosted by KCP&L regarding energy efficiency and Town Center Plaza has on- site meetings scheduled with their engineering team for assistance in our programs. This process has been "in-play" for several months and will be a substantial undertaking in 2008. One month ago, our General Manager wrote an article in our Merchant Newsletter titled "Green Saves Green," encouraging our retailers not to keep their doors open during the summer months while their air conditioners are running.
Both the local and corporate management group think the addition of bike racks is a great idea and based on your request, will be investigated. Town Center Plaza is a part of the community it serves and within the boundaries of our legal agreements, protecting our customers, merchants, and the property, fully embraces the needs of that group. Cyclists, like all Town Center Plaza customers are welcome at the center and where opportunities are presented that benefit that group every consideration will be given toward their needs.
Thank you again for your e-mail. Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Regards,
Kristy L. Hooper, CMD
Director of Marketing
Town Center Plaza/Ward Parkway Center
p: 913.498.1111
f: 913.469.1445
www.TownCenterPlaza.com
khooper@ddr.com
---
FWIW here is a letter that Town Center has been sending people who write them about this issue: --- Thank you for your e-mail and for giving us the opportunity to give you accurate information. Actually no, it is not true that Town Center Plaza does not allow bicycles. I must admit the management team at the center was surprised by both the direction and the tone of the article. Town Center Plaza welcomes our cyclist community, and Mr. Schroeder (the DDR spokesperson quoted in the article) is an avid cyclist himself. In fact, a local cyclist group meets here weekly ending their ride at Panera Bread for refreshments. One part of the article is correct. We have not had any requests for bike racks and as such it had not been entertained until recently. In June of this year, Town Center Plaza began extensive investigation into a "Green" initiative directed toward doing our part for the good of the whole. The first and most immediate change you will see is the replacement of the old incandescent lighting formerly used in our holiday decor with new energy efficient LED bulbs. In addition, we are currently investigating the introduction of Hybrid vehicles for use by our operations team. Other initiatives will include more efficient use of HVAC at the center, education of our merchants, lighting timer settings, and in general a review of how we are conducting day-to-day business as it relates to this subject. Recently, I attended a seminar hosted by KCP&L regarding energy efficiency and Town Center Plaza has on- site meetings scheduled with their engineering team for assistance in our programs. This process has been "in-play" for several months and will be a substantial undertaking in 2008. One month ago, our General Manager wrote an article in our Merchant Newsletter titled "Green Saves Green," encouraging our retailers not to keep their doors open during the summer months while their air conditioners are running. Both the local and corporate management group think the addition of bike racks is a great idea and based on your request, will be investigated. Town Center Plaza is a part of the community it serves and within the boundaries of our legal agreements, protecting our customers, merchants, and the property, fully embraces the needs of that group. Cyclists, like all Town Center Plaza customers are welcome at the center and where opportunities are presented that benefit that group every consideration will be given toward their needs. Thank you again for your e-mail. Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance. Regards, Kristy L. Hooper, CMD Director of Marketing Town Center Plaza/Ward Parkway Center p: 913.498.1111 f: 913.469.1445 www.TownCenterPlaza.com khooper@ddr.com ---
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