DeKalb bicycle enthusiasts brainstormed routes for bike paths to local destinations such as the baseball diamonds and skate park on Dresser Road, the DeKalb County Health Department and Kishwaukee College.

The DeKalb County Greenways and Trails Coalition met Tuesday night to create a path wish list to present to professional planner Ann Freiwald on May 4, said Michael Stack, a coalition member and NIU computer science instructor.

The DeKalb bicyclists agreed that children from the Tilton Park and Fox Hollow neighborhoods need a safe path or an underpass to the baseball diamonds and skate park located on the north side of Dresser Road.

Additionally, the group discussed a route north on Normal Road to Dresser Road to Annie Glidden Road, providing access to the DeKalb County Health Department.

The bicyclists also decided on South Malta Road as the most viable route to Kishwaukee College in Malta. Widening the road’s shoulders by two feet would provide adequate space for bikers, said Julia Fauci, the coalition’s publicity director.

Coalition members were optimistic about the meeting’s accomplishments

Stack, a self-described non-recovering bicycle addict said, “We had good attendance and good coverage for the areas we wanted.”

Bicyclists, many from the Kishwaukee Valley Bicycle Club, answered the coalition’s call for public input. No NIU students attended, despite Fauci’s hopes, but NIU faculty did come with input.

David Rusin, a DeKalb resident and NIU associate math professor, bikes to campus every day as does Craig Gilbertson, an assistant in the NIU law library.

“I see people riding to work every day,” Gilbertson said.

The coalition meets again at 7 p.m. next Tuesday at the Hopkins Park Community Room across from Jewel on Route 23. Freiwald will evaluate the coalition’s suggestions.