BOISE, Idaho — An unlikely conversation over the 2007 Castle Rock Fire, ironically built one of the most robust nonprofits in state. The fire evacuated more than 2,000 homes, burned thousands of acres, and catalyzed the Boise Bicycle Project (BBP).
It is a memory BBP Founder and Executive Director Jimmy Hallyburton remembers fondly from the comfort of the downtown community-centric bike repair castle he built from the ground up.
"Brian Anderson and I - he's the other co-founder - we were both firefighters," Hallyburton said. "It had been, you know, two weeks of intense firefighting. Finally, it slowed down, and we started talking about our backgrounds. Both of us growing up with a bicycle and feeling that freedom that most people associated with a bicycle - leaving the driveway for the first time and it'd be like your world expanded."
After 16 years, Hallyburton is now stepping away from organization.
He set out to make Boise the "Bicycle Capital of America," by providing anyone with a bike regardless of income, teaching them how to fix their bike, and ensuring quality places to ride that bike in every neighborhood.
"I'm confident BBP can still help Boise get to that bicycle capital of America status and be one of the strongest bicycle communities in the country," Hallyburton said. "I started this place when I was 25 years old. There's nothing that I that I love more than BBP, and the people that are involved with it. And so, I wanted to make sure that whenever I did leave, that I left it in a really, really good spot."
BBP is responsible for spearheading the annual Boise Goathead Fest with the 2023 goal to remove 7.5 tons of the invasive weed - known to pop bike tires - from the city. Hallyburton estimates BBP has provided 12,000 kids with bikes since its founding.
BBP plans to release the executive director job posting on June 23 with a target hiring date of Sept. 5.
Hallyburton's last day is scheduled for Sept. 29.
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