I was invited by the mayor to come to the city council meeting yesterday and speak on behalf of the bridge. They were very receptive to the talk and seemed positive and supportive. They encouraged me to create a petition to learn how much support there is for pursuing a different path. Here is how I addressed the board... Hello. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to you today! I am here to share from my heart about preserving a unique and architectural gem in our community. I have fond memories of crossing the big Steel Truss Bridge on the east end of Portland almost every day as a child...especially on my way to school. Every time I cross it, I have to slow down and enjoy the experience with a childlike delight! These bridges are fun and we have one right here in our community! I feel this bridge is a special part of our heritage and would like to see it continue to be a part of our future! The Indiana Dept. Transportation is scheduled to remove and replace this 81 year old steel blue treasure in 2023 with a plain concrete pedestal bridge. In an effort to understand the concerns, I have been talking with some wonderful people at INDOT who have been kind and helpful in sharing their process of evaluating the bridge and their desire to work with communities to preserve historical structures when possible. I am also in contact with a few different historical preservation associations and collecting information on how we can keep the bridge. Last week, I made a Facebook post to ask our community of their thoughts on the bridge. I received around 200 positive comments of support in a short period of time. Many who had no idea the bridge was in danger of being removed. I must admit, I myself had not learned of it until just last month or so when I heard Rob Weaver announce it on the radio. I learned it had been in the works since 2019 and I somehow missed it so I'm coming into this on the tail end of the process. In addition, we learned that the replacement bridge will be a concrete pedestal style in which a large column of concrete will be poured into the riverbed below and could potentially cause more future issues with our already problematic flooding in Portland. I realize it will be a challenge to save it. But I want to pursue any avenue that would give our community the opportunity to continue to enjoy this bridge or a similar one for years to come! Please consider re-looking at the bridge project. I speak for myself and on behalf of our community that we would appreciate your ideas and willingness to pursue saving this unique part of our city.
The board seemed supportive of getting the ball rolling in determining the next step and the mayor agreed to reach out to State Rep JD Prescott for more help. He confirmed with me on Tuesday that he spoke with him and is willing to meet with us and help in whatever way he can, including talking with INDOT. Now we just need YOU! Please sign the petition and show your support! Don't forget to share the link with friends and family! Thanks