Jasper looking for funds to repair wooden bridge
8/14/2008 – Angela Mitchell www.pickensprogressonline.com
The people of Jasper have spoken, and they want their bridge back.
The almost century-old landmark, which has been closed to vehicle traffic since May 23 will be getting a full-fledged makeover, according to Mayor John Weaver and the city council––if, that is, they can find money to fund the project, estimated to cost around $80,000.
Previously, Mayor Weaver expressed interest in converting the bridge into a pedestrian-only walkway, which would cost significantly less than bringing it up to DOT standards for vehicle traffic. But Weaver said at last Wednesday’s council meeting, “Most people want to put it back to traffic, which makes me change my mind.”
The rest of the council, who have also been speaking with the residents of Jasper about the future of the wooden bridge agreed, and Councilman Jim Looney said of his own residential surveys, “I haven’t come across a single person who wants to close it.”
However, with the sluggish state of the economy, the city is experiencing lower than expected revenues this fiscal year and is unable to pony up the money alone. “The $80,000 would have devastated the city’s budget. We would have had to raise taxes to cover it,” Mayor Weaver said at a later meeting.
Before formal steps are taken to get the bridge up to code, the city must first have sole ownership. According to the mayor and council, the city is negotiating with the Georgia Northeastern Railroad (current owners of the wooden bridge) for proprietorship, which will allow the city to apply for grants and loans to help fund the project.
According to Weaver, the city has “Good leads in funding,” but still has no estimates as to when repairs will begin.
Lou Chastain of the DOT reported in a separate interview with the Progress, “The city made a request that we fund a portion of the project, and we are going to provide as much as we possibly can.” Chastain said the DOT Commissioner is the only one with the authority to approve financial assistance of such a large sum, and the city is now waiting for a reply from Georgia DOT Commissioner Gina Abraham.
Pickens County Commissioner Rob Jones also publicly announced several weeks ago at the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors’ meeting that the county is willing to provide $20,000 for the project in order to get the bridge repaired by the annual Marble Festival the first week in October.
“The county would like to partner with the city,” Commissioner Jones said later in a telephone interview. “We are willing to help, but I need to know what’s going on.”
