Welcome, James!
All sounds good, and so happy to hear that out of the horrible catastrophe in the Gulf, someone is willing to give up or reduce car commuting. I would echo one other poster who wondered why you need a commuter if you have a pretty vintage 3 spd? but perhaps you have big hills there. It's pretty flat here.

I used to think the old 3 speeds weren't really serious bikes. I think that is because in the old days we only got to drive old clapped out ladies models (what teenage boy wants to drive a "ladies model"?) and they didnt have a racy image back then, etc. But recently I had an eye opening experience: I timed my commute and discovered my 3 speed Sports was statistically as fast as my lightweight aluminum Scott Mtnbike over the 6 km. Statistically meaning I dont have a decent second hand on my watch... But you can certainly find a lighter bike with more sophisticated componentry on the other hand.

anyway, happy trails!