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CarsCrumbling historic bridge not built for modern times
The Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise/STPNS
- Original The Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise/STPNS article: Crumbling historic bridge not built for modern times
ALMA, Kansas (STPNS) -- Discussion in recent weeks about the historic bridge on the east side of Lake Wabaunsee led to a meeting Monday between Wabaunsee County Commissioners and other interested parties to discuss the bridge's future.
Lake Wabaunsee Resident Marita Elliott said news that the bridge might need to come down worried her so much she had trouble eating or sleeping.
"I'd like to address the commission regarding the word we received that the bridge is unsafe," she said.
She said she and other representatives from the lake were present to lobby for repair and preservation of the bridge.
Elliott said the Lake Wabaunsee Improvement District has requested the county's assistance in maintaining the bridge on numerous occasions and she said she was not happy about hearing that it might be beyond repair.
"We have requested county assistance several times," she said. "Now we get the word that it's unsafe and we're going to have to do something else. We're very, very discouraged."
Elliott outlined a number of reasons to save the bridge, including it's aesthetic and historical values, but Road and Bridge Department Supervisor Les Schrader and Engineer Bob Chambers said there may be nothing that could be done to save the bridge for the long-term.
"We don't have the means to do the repairs on it," Schrader said.
He added that the foundation and the area below the flow line is where the problem is, and to make the repairs would include blocking the area off and pumping all the water out - tasks for which his department is unequipped and which also would be costly to contract out.
Chambers said the biggest problem is updating a bridge meant for horse and buggy to the standard needed to regularly handle SUVs and large trucks.
He said this is what will be necessary for the state funding to kick in.
If the bridge were able to be brought up to standard and put on the state's five-year-plan the state would then pay 80 percent of the cost to repair it with the county funding 20 percent, but Chambers said the bridge has additional flaws.
"The three small openings catch everything," he said, adding that the drift caught by the bridge eats into the embankment and there is no way to leave the bridge in place and correct the problem of the openings being too small and becoming plugged.
Chambers suggested a bridge could be built to the east to allow the existing bridge to remain, but the drift problem would still be present.
He added the county could pay for all the repairs needed, but it still would have maintenance problems.
"The main problem is it's just too small for the creek," Chambers said.
Schrader said the structural problems are due to the freeze and thaw cycle of the lake.
"It's the freeze and thaw that's really causing the problem," he said, adding that he has looked at the bridge during the winter when the lake is frozen and has noticed stone and mortar on the ice from the bridge.
Commissioner Rodney Allen assured Elliott and the other representatives that the commission does not intend to harm the bridge and has been discussing options.
"We have talked about it quite a bit," he said.
In other business, commissioners heard budgets for several departments.
The Wabaunsee County Conservation District requested the same county contribution, $25,000, as in the past two years.
County Treasurer Linda Coon also held the line on her budget with a proposed 2009 budget of $86,540, the same as her 2008 budget.
Economic Development and County Health Department budget requests both saw decreases with Economic Development down $150 from 2008's $61,000, and County Health down $9,267.49 from $247,304 to $238,036.51.
Register of Deeds Suzanne Simon asked for a slight increase, primarily for cost-of-living raises, with the department's budget going from $74,800 to $77,287.
Zoning Administrator David Stuewe updated commissioners on plans the zoning and planning meeting Thursday.
He said the board may be amending zoning regulations to put teeth in conditional use permits in the event they are not used properly. He said he also has proposed changing rules so approving daycares with six or fewer children will be an administrative decision rather than going before the entire board.
Commissioners also were told that a Wabaunsee County deputy went to Chapman to assist with patrolling the town following last week's tornado.
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