County mulls taking Stone Bridge management from Historic Preservation

     After receiving a proposal from Origin Design for professional services for a load rating on Stone Bridge, the Jones County Board of Supervisors decided to table any action during their July 20 meeting, until County Attorney Kristofer Lyons has time to review the contract and question of management of the bridge.

     County Engineer Derek Snead said Origin Design would text the existing capacity of the historic bridge, including recommending reconstruction of the facia, at an amount not to exceed $35,000.

     “They’ll give the capacity of the existing structure right now as it sits,” he said. “Regardless, the facia has to be replaced to open it back up no matter what.”

     The fee is based on hourly rates, expenses, and a standard 10 percent for overhead costs.

     Snead said further work from Origin would then be up to the board of supervisors to decide. Any additional work would range from an additional $30,000 to $40,000.

     “They could give us vague ideas as to what the next steps would possibly be,” added Snead of the extra costs.

     Supervisor Jeff Swisher asked whether Origin could engineer a bridge project if it came to that.

     “They have the ability, yes,” offered Snead. “They’ll go as far as you want them to go.”

     “I’ve heard both sides from constituents,” commented Swisher. “We have to know what we’re working with or we’ll just be guessing at it.”

     Both Swisher and Supervisor John Schlarmann were in favor of proceeding with the load rating.

     Supervisor Ned Rohwedder asked where the $35,000 was going to come from: Secondary Roads, Jones County Historic Preservation Commission, or the county’s general fund.

     “We turned this over to Historic Preservation,” he said, referring to a 2017 resolution the board passed, giving management of Stone Bridge to the Commission. “They don’t have this kind of money.”

     Furthermore, Rohwedder said this is not necessarily a Secondary Roads’ project, meaning why should Snead’s department foot the bill.

     “We own it; it’s in our lap,” Swisher said of the county’s ownership.

     “Then shouldn’t the county pay for it versus Secondary Roads?” asked Rohwedder. “This is a question we need answered before we agree to this.

     “I’ve always been in favor of doing something, but I’m asking where the money is going to come from,” continued Rohwedder.

     Supervisor Joe Oswald explained despite Historic Preservation managing the structure, the county always maintained ownership.

     Supervisor Jon Zirkelbach said he wasn’t willing to spend any money until Secondary Roads was agreeable to taking back management of the bridge.

     “Secondary Roads should be making decisions for future direction (of the bridge),” he said.

     Both Swisher and Schlarmann said the county needs to do something before Stone Bridge continues to deteriorate.

     “I know we’re at odds, but we have to figure it out for the people,” urged Swisher. “They’d like to see it open.”

     Snead said depending on the county’s end goal, it could be difficult to modify the bridge and still maintain its historic significance and integrity.

     Zirkelbach said some farmers in the Stone Bridge area want a bridge they can use for farm machinery. Schlarmann said there are multiple ways, east or west, to get to their properties other than using the bridge.

     The board felt they needed to bring the matter to Lyons to determine how they could transfer management of the bridge from Historic Preservation to Secondary Roads.