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Clean Commute Week to conclude with memorial ride

Community event, tree planting will honor Paul Wilbert

The city of Durango will close out its seventh annual Clean Commute Week on Thursday with an event designed to memorialize multimodal, transportation and biking enthusiast Paul Wilbert.

The Paul Wilbert Memorial Passeggiata will start at 4:45 p.m. in Buckley Park. It will travel the length of Main Avenue before returning to 15th Street and culminating at the Powerhouse Science Center, said Amber Blake, director of transportation and sustainability.

The passeggiata is themed after a traditional Italian town stroll, and the city hopes it will promote Wilbert’s vision of bicycling as a way of life and transportation and remind the community of his many accomplishments in the Durango area, Blake said. “He had a pretty big impact on what we see Durango as today and the vision we have for Durango in the future.”

Wilbert was an active citizen, serving on the Multimodal, Transportation and Natural Lands Boards, said Cathy Metz, parks and recreation director. “Paul was involved with a lot of city departments and activities because he cared a lot about Durango, and so he volunteered his time in so many ways.”

Wilbert died March 18 at the age of 60.

Some of the fruits of Wilbert’s labors can be seen across the community in the form of the Peter Carver Memorial Forest on Chapman Hill and the trail system, for which he was involved in the creation of the master plan, Metz said. “Paul would always look for opportunities for connectivity in the city’s trail systems.”

The event concludes with a Love Your Commute Party at the Powerhouse that will feature live music, awards presentations for various categories of commuters, from large businesses to individuals, and the Pedal vs Metal Challenge, Blake said. This challenge pits bicyclists, and one runner, against drivers in a challenge to complete five errands around downtown, and is free for any interested individuals.

As the festivities are coming to a close, a black locust tree will be planted along the river trail adjacent to the science center in memory of Wilbert, she said. “He was an amazing human being, and we were lucky to have him.”

Luke Perkins is a full-time student at Fort Lewis College and a summer intern for The Durango Herald. You can contact him at lukep@durangoherald.com

Mar 19, 2016
Durango trailblazer Paul Wilbert dies suddenly at 60


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