Julie Bowers of Workin’ Bridges, the iron bridge restoration outfit that performed a March 2015 site visit and submitted a scope of work report on Hotel Bridge, has done further reseach on lifting Hotel Bridge to the parking lot across Main Street to make the repairs on land. Bowers contacted the utility companies over the summer to determine what actions might be feasable. Her findings to date follow: Moving electric, cable, and phone is doable. The big hinderance is that there is a Columbia Gas service line that runs across the south side of the bridge deck. The line carries gas to Water Street customers. Rerouting the line would be expensive (Columbia gas pays the city for use of resources). Temporary piles to hold the gas line in place while the bridge is moved would be expensive as well. Unfortunately, in order to move Hotel Bridge to land it would require two 500 ton cranes, and dollies, not the smaller crane that Julie used for the quote given at the June 1st community meeting. The conclusion drawn is that it is not a feasable alternative to move the bridge to the parking lot for repairs.
Julie is currently seeking further information from the engineering firm, Stantec Associates, that ran the original load capacity numbers on the bridge. Stantec used heavy tonnage to determine the load capacity. Workin’ Bridges would like them to rerun the load capacity using more realistic pedestrian only weight figures. Just a few days ago Paul Duquette of Stantec responded to Julie’s inquiries and said he will be conferring with his structural and legal team to see if they can change a recommendation with new data. If they are able to rerun the data, fewer repairs will have to be done in order to make the bridge safe for pedestrians. Of course the City, as owners of the bridge, would have to support the plan.
Orange Dam/Riverfront Trashing/Bike Path Development-Leeds Civic Association members, Chartpak owners, and the Northampton Police Department met to develop a strategy around the ongoing abuse of the river and area around Orange Dam. This was following the graffiti issues we had there last month, and ongoing complaints from locals about abuse of the area. This has resulted in improved posting of the area, increased police presence. The level of use has not seemed to have been altered much and there have been mixed results regarding trash, fires, and noise. We have requested for improved signage at the entrance to the trail from Planning, but the construction planned for this summer, and the difficulty in enforcing activity is not providing solutions as fast as some of us would like. If you see abusive activity there, call the police, that is about as much as we can do at this time. NPD Phone Number 413-587-1100
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-07-12 20:25:552015-07-12 20:25:55Orange Dam Summer Update
The big news from the June 1st community meeting with Workin’ Bridges project manager, Julie Bowers, is that it may be possible to move the bridge to land to make the repairs which would cut the restoration cost considerably. Questions and logistics for such a plan would need to be addressed. One of which is, if Alternative Recycling is willing to allow the bridge to be worked on for six weeks in their parking area. Julie Bowers’ initial conversation with the owner implies that it is indeed a possibility. The question of the gas line being interrupted during the lift and set would need to be addressed. Electric lines, too. The fee to research these details and logistics for the operation would cost $1,000. How the LCA moves forward will be discussed at the next LCA meeting on June 9th.
The city seems to have little interest in opening the bridge temporarily citing liability issues. Bowers will be asking DPW to have Stantec utilize the numbers that Workin’ Bridges uses for loading at occupancy which would be somewhere between 30 and 60 pounds per square foot, which is more realistic for a pedestrian bridge. Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting. A strong show of community support was important. NCTV has released a video of the meeting (see link below). Leeds Civic will continue to advocate to make Hotel Bridge a working pedestrian bridge. New people are interested in helping with grant writing and we’ll continue to fund raise. And, Leeds Civic will keep the bridge entrances looking their best. Thank you, Lora Sandhusen, for adding fresh flowers to the planters on Main Street and Water Street for the summer season.
Reprinted from Daily Hampshire Gazette Article Photo by CAROL LOLLIS
By EMMA KOLCHIN-MILLER Gazette Contributing Writer
Tuesday, June 2, 2015 (Published in print: Tuesday, June 2, 2015)
NORTHAMPTON — A consultant told about 60 people who attended a community meeting Monday night about the historic Hotel Bridge in Leeds that a new plan could cut the estimated cost of its restoration in half — from about $1.1 million to roughly $500,000.
Julie Bowers, project manager for Workin’ Bridges of Grinnell, Iowa, which conducted an engineering study on the bridge in March, said dismantling the bridge and repairing it on land across the street would result in the lower cost.
Debated during the hour-long meeting at the Leeds School was whether the bridge could be opened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic for the summer while the city and the Leeds Civic Association, which has led efforts to restore the bridge, pursue funds for a full restoration. Workin’ Bridges and the civic association advocated temporarily reopening the bridge, while Edward Huntley, director of the city Department of Public Works, expressed concern about the safety hazards and costs involved.
Workin’ Bridges is the second firm to study the bridge. Last summer, a study by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton — funded by a $35,000 Community Preservation Act grant — found the bridge to be unsafe and in need of extensive repairs totaling $1.5 million.
Though the bridge had technically been closed, the Department of Public Works fenced it off after the Stantec Study was released.
The Stantec and the Workin’ Bridges studies both initially suggested that the bridge would need to be repaired in place, which would involve expensive machinery. However, Bowers said Monday that there is potentially enough space across the street on the land of Alternative Recycling Systems to place the bridge as it undergoes repairs.
“I took a look at the site, and it looked a lot bigger without your piles of snow around it,” Bowers said. “I thought that we could pull this bridge of and perhaps put it in Alternative Recycling right across the road.”
The repair on land would lower costs to around $500,000, according to Bowers, though her team would have to further study on that option to give a more precise estimate of the cost. That research would cost $1,000, Bowers said.
Huntley said the city does not currently have that $1,000, though he expressed support for repairing the bridge on the ground.
“I don’t have any funding for that. I’d have to find the funds in my budget somewhere, or the city would have to approve it through the cash reserves,” Huntley said in an interview after the meeting.
Heidi Stevens, vice president of the civic association, said it has over $5,000 in its bridge restoration fund. Stevens said the board would discuss using this money to hire Workin’ Bridges to research the costs of repairing the bridge in the open lot.
Bowers also presented two “repair to reopen” options that would allow the bridge to reopen for the summer while funding for longer-term repairs is sought. One option, estimated at $13,700, would reopen the bridge with an 8-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle lane, while the other, estimated at $20,300, would include asphalt patches to the bridge decking.
“I would say open it up and let you use it. The city has other concerns,” Bowers said at the meeting. “I don’t think you need to do much more than replace the section of guardrail that’s missing to open it back up and grandfather it back to the way it was.”
But Huntley said he was not satisfied with those options, and expressed concern about the asphalt patches, the deteriorating panels underneath the bridge, and its overall strength.
“Workin’ Bridges would open it tomorrow. I’m not putting my professional liability on that,” Huntley said in an interview after the meeting. “What if someone fell through the bridge, and I was the one that said it was OK to be on it?”
Huntley and Bowers said they would continue to explore ways to open the bridge for the summer.
“I support the project, I worked through the process with the CPA grant, and I look forward to doing something on this at some point. I just don’t have the time frame and there’s no funding right now,” Huntley said during the meeting.
If the DPW and civic association secure funding for any repairs, there will be a bidding process in which the “lowest qualified bidder” will be selected to do the work, according to Huntley.
People who attended the meeting said they are hopeful that the city will be able to restore the bridge.
“I used to walk across this bridge not that many years ago,” said Gary Roodman, who has lived in Leeds for 13 years. “We have a close community here, and the bridge is something we’ve taken pride in.”
https://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Photo-for-June.jpeg532801justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-06-02 14:34:172015-06-07 14:38:51Consultant Says Repairs to Hotel Bridge in Leeds Could be Reduced to About $500,000
Reprinted from Daily Hampshire Gazette Article Photo by Pennington Geis
By EMMA KOLCHIN-MILLER Gazette Contributing Writer
Thursday, May 28, 2015 (Published in print: Friday, May 29, 2015)
NORTHAMPTON — Representatives from an Iowa organization dedicated to preserving historic truss bridges will present three possibilities at a community meeting Monday for work to save the historic Hotel Bridge in Leeds: a $1.1 million full restoration of the bridge, and two repairs of $20,000 or less that would allow the bridge to reopen the bridge to pedestrian traffic while the city and the Leeds Civic Association pursue additional funding.
The civic association, which has led efforts to restore the bridge for over a decade, will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Leeds Elementary School cafeteria, 20 Florence St. The meeting will feature a presentation from the project manager for Workin’ Bridges of Grinnell, Iowa, a consulting and contracting firm that conducted an engineering study of the bridge in March.
Julie Bowers, project manager for Workin’ Bridges, said the “Scope of Work and Estimates” she will present Monday constitutes a bid for the firm to complete the engineering and construction work, if city officials decide to move forward with the project.
In addition to the Workin’ Bridges presentation, the meeting will include a question-and-answer session and a slideshow, said civic association vice president Heidi Stevens.
Workin’ Bridges is the second firm to study the bridge. Last summer, a study by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton — funded by a $35,000 Community Preservation Act grant — found the bridge to be unsafe and in need of extensive repairs.
The Department of Public Works fenced off the bridge after the Stantec study was released.
“It was technically closed to all traffic before the study, but once the study was done they actually chained it off,” Leeds Civic Association president Sue Carbin said of the bridge. “So this is where it becomes a hardship for us. Everybody who walks in this town — and everybody walks in this town — is missing that route of going down Mulberry, down Water, across the bridge.”
Mayor David Narkewicz echoed disappointment over the bridge’s closing, and offered city support to help the restoration effort.
“The bridge has degraded over time, and it’s been disappointing that it’s had to be closed because of safety concerns,” Narkewicz said. “To the extent that we can work with them and hopefully restore it as at least a foot bridge and bike bridge, that’s exciting and hopefully we can achieve that.”
Restoration costs
Both the Stantec and Workin’ Bridges studies estimate that a full restoration of the bridge would cost over $1 million and require repairs to the deck, rails, and underside of the bridge.
The Stantec study pegged the cost of repairs to be upward of $1.5 million. Repairs listed in the Stantec report included work on the deck — which has holes open to the river below — railings, and significant repairs to the floor beams, stringers, and truss members, which need to be strengthened.
The Stantec study also called for $650,000 to clean and repaint the bridge — a task and price tag civic association members initially questioned because the work would not address safety issues. The Workin’ Bridges study arrived at a similar estimate for cleaning and repainting the bridge — and the work will eventually be necessary, Bowers said.
She said that while her firm estimates the cost of a full restoration to be $1.1 million, it could cost less than $20,000 to safely reopen the bridge to pedestrian traffic. Those repairs would cover immediate safety hazards such as the holes in the decking, broken bolts, and a lack of adequate fencing, Bowers said.
The Workin’ Bridges estimates include two “repair to reopen” options. Under the least expensive option, estimated at $13,700, the bridge would reopen with an 8-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle lane. A second repair plan estimated at $20,300 would include asphalt patches to the bridge decking. Both options could allow the bridge to reopen this summer, Bowers wrote in a letter to Carbin and Department of Public Works director Edward S. Huntley.
“We could come in and repair the broken bolts and put in some fencing and fix the decking so that it could be open for limited crossing while they come up with the money for the bulk of the repairs,” Bowers said.
“They have submitted a scope-of-work report with costs,” Stevens said. “They would definitely be considered for both jobs.”
Bowers said Workin’ Bridges reached out to the civic association and offered to do the second study for $6,000 after reading news reports about efforts to restore the bridge.
To pay for the Workin’ Bridges contract, the Community Preservation Committee approved the use of roughly $5,000 left over from the $35,000 CPA grant that funded the Stantec study, and the civic association contributed $1,000 of its own money, Carbin said.
“They come in pretty close to each other,” Carbin said of the two estimates.
Of the choice to hire Workin’ Bridges for a second study, Carbin said, “We wanted Workin’ Bridges because they actually are a company that is passionate about saving old iron bridges, and they really know old iron.”
Huntley said Stantec was one of two companies to submit a proposal to lead the initial study, and Workin’ Bridges did not emerge as a possibility until recently.
Next steps
Stevens, the civic association vice president, said it will be the city’s decision whether to proceed with the less expensive repairs and reopen the bridge. The civic association is willing contribute roughly $5,000 it has raised and help apply for a CPA grant for the work, she said.
“We are well aware that it will take several years to acquire the funding for a full restoration, but there are smart, creative and dedicated people who are willing to help,” Stevens said in an email.
Stevens said she hopes city officials will come to Monday’s meeting to learn about the repair options.
Narkewicz said that if scheduling does not permit him to attend Monday’s meeting, he will send a representative from his office.
Huntley agreed that money for repairs could come from fundraising and grants, with additional funding opportunities if the bridge receives a national historic designation.
“The biggest thing is the funding, of how we would find the money to replace this,” Huntley said.
Civic association members hope to succeed in a campaign to have the bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which would make the restoration project eligible for federal grants. Last month, the Department of Public Works submitted the civic association’s nomination for the bridge to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. That agency will evaluate the nomination — a process that could take 14 to 18 months — before sending it on to the national historic register.
The nomination included a letter of support from Mayor Narkewicz.
“The Hotel Bridge is not only symbolic of the manufacturing history around Leeds, but is part of a larger American architectural and engineering story,” Narkewicz’s letter reads in part. “Today, Leeds remains a thriving part of Northampton — and the ability to restore the bridge would serve as a useful link between the extension of the Norwottuck Rail Trail and the Roberts Hill conservation area and Musante Beach swimming area, offering pedestrians and bicyclists a connection to local recreational resources.”
In an interview, Narkewicz pledged continued support for the effort.
“We’ve been trying to be supportive of that effort to secure placement on the historic register, and then we’ll continue to try to be supportive in assisting them with the effort to restore the bridge,” Narkewicz said. “I know that there’s private fundraising going on, and there are obviously other historic preservation kinds of funds out there that we can work with them on.”
Carbin said she has seen significant community support for the project.
“Most of the people who live in Leeds have used that bridge and miss it,” she said. “I hope we get a lot of questions from people in the community as to what they’d like to see.”
A meaningful bridge
The single-lane iron truss bridge, sometimes called Old Shepherd Road Bridge, was built in 1880 and is the oldest bridge in Northampton. Over the years, it offered a river crossing to stagecoaches and then cars, but it has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2004.
“It’s really a part of the history of Northampton that needs to be preserved,” said Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein. “It’s just been a vital factor in the life of the village of Leeds and Northampton as a whole.”
Leeds resident Tom Quinn offered childhood memories that included jumping off the bridge into the river with his friends, and fishing beneath the bridge. He said he took his daughter, 10, fishing under the bridge last weekend — though he wishes she could enjoy full access to it.
“It’s just sad to see the state that the bridge is in now — closed, off limits. It’s just sitting there rotting,” Quinn said.
According to Jason Johnson, chairman of the Leeds chapter of the Mill River Greenway Initiative, the bridge offers a connection to both the history of Leeds and the river.
“It gives you not only a sense historically of what was going on in the town 150 years ago, but it also puts you in a really unique vantage point to see the river and experience what’s going on from its very center,” Johnson said.
Narkewicz reiterated the bridge’s value to “ecotourism” in Northampton.
“We have a lot of people come to Northampton to ride and experience our bike trails, so to the extent that this becomes another spur off of or a link as part of our existing rail trail system, I think it adds that value as well,” Narkewicz said.
https://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Penny-photo-for-may-article.jpg534801justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-05-28 14:27:072015-06-07 14:33:46City to hear latest report on effort to open historic Leeds span
The Workin’ Bridges community meeting will be held Monday, June 1st at 6:30pm at Leeds School Cafeteria. In addition to Workin’ Bridges presenting a plan for full restoration and the cost involved, a plan to open the bridge to foot traffic and bicycles while restoration funding is sought will be offered. The city of Northampton owns the bridge and must approve of any bridge opening. If the historic 1880 iron bridge can be opened in a safe way, it will greatly improve the enjoyment and movement of Leeds folks and others who relied on the bridge to cross the river. An open bridge will also increase restoration fund raising opportunities.
What made this special meeting come about:
The Community Preservation Act grant that was used in 2011 to hire Stantec Assoc. to assess the bridge had a balance of $5,292. Rather than use the funds for a Stantec public meeting about their findings (which are available for free on the Northampton website), the LCA requested that the money be used to hire Workin’ Bridges, a team of iron bridge specialists, to perform a site visit, submit a scope of work report, and hold a larger community meeting here in Leeds.
The LCA, DPW, and Workin’ Bridges took advantage of the frozen river in early March by quickly organizing the site-visit. The WB site-visit team consisted of iron worker, Nels Raynor of Bach Steele, Jim Schiffer, bridge engineer and Julie Bowers, project manager. They flew in, spent a day and a half assessing, measuring and photographing the top and bottom chord members, abutments and deck. The river was frozen solid so the team could inspect underneath while standing on the ice – no boat, no scaffolding necessary! The Workin’ Bridges’ Scope of Work report was recently submitted to the city and on Monday, June 1 at 6:30 the third part of the Workin’ Bridges contract will take place with a community meeting led by WB project manager, Julie Bowers. You are all invited, as well as the mayor, city officials, bridge historians and enthusiasts, engineering professors and students, bicyclists and walkers. Please mark your calendars, bring your friends and find out what it will take to open the Hotel Bridge.
National Register of Historic Places
Hotel Bridge has an excellent chance of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places which could allow access to grant funding for restoration. On Tuesday, April 28, the Northampton Department of Public Works submitted the Leeds Civic Association’s nomination for the Hotel Bridge to be officially recognized as a national historic place. The nomination must first be evaluated by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, a process which can take 14 to 18 months, before they then submit it to the the National Historic Register. Letters of support from Mayor Narkewicz; DPW director, Ned Huntley; The Mill River Greenway Initiative chairman, John Sinton; and Northampton Historical Commission Chair, David Drake were included with the application. Volunteer researchers, writers, and editors helped with the application. Many thanks to Penny Geis, Jim Montgomery, Jason Johnson, Sue Carbin, Heidi Stevens, Megan Freedman, Megan McNally, and Andy Kuether.
https://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/hotelBridge-long.jpg9611959justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-05-24 18:57:412015-05-25 12:31:20Restoration – Community Meeting with Workin’ Bridges
Last year, I joined the Mill River Greenway Initiative on several of their river walks guided by people who know the history and the ecology of the river. On one walk I saw where the river used to run through downtown Northampton. This spring, an MRGI canoe trip took us through the floodplain forest and marsh just before our Mill River joins the Connecticut River at Acadia. An Audubon ecologist guided us to an owl nest, where his young daughter spotted a baby Great Horned Owl on a branch just above the water in front of us. For ten or fifteen minutes, we stilled our canoes and our hearts as we watched that baby owl just “this” far in front of us.
MRGI offers guided walks and paddles. I loved the walks – and highly recommend them. But don’t delay; you have to sign up early, because they fill up fast. Go to their website at MillRiverGreenway.org for information about this year’s walks, for information about the history and ecology of the Mill River, and to volunteer to help with projects in art, history, pulling invasive species, children’s activities, and more.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-05-04 18:29:242015-05-04 18:29:24Leeds Mill River Greenway History Walk
The Workin’ Bridges community meeting will be held Monday, June 1st at 6:30pm at Leeds School Cafeteria. In addition to Workin’ Bridges presenting a plan for full restoration and the cost involved, a plan to open the bridge to foot traffic and bicycles while restoration funding is sought will be offered. The city of Northampton owns the bridge and must approve of any bridge opening. If the historic 1880 iron bridge can be opened in a safe way, it will greatly improve the enjoyment and movement of Leeds folks and others who relied on the bridge to cross the river. An open bridge will also increase restoration fund raising opportunities.
What made this special meeting come about:
The Community Preservation Act grant that was used in 2011 to hire Stantec Assoc. to assess the bridge had a balance of $5,292. Rather than use the funds for a Stantec public meeting about their findings (which are available for free on the Northampton website), the LCA requested that the money be used to hire Workin’ Bridges, a team of iron bridge specialists, to perform a site visit, submit a scope of work report, and hold a larger community meeting here in Leeds.
The LCA, DPW, and Workin’ Bridges took advantage of the frozen river in early March by quickly organizing the site-visit. The WB site-visit team consisted of iron worker, Nels Raynor of Bach Steele, Jim Schiffer, bridge engineer and Julie Bowers, project manager. They flew in, spent a day and a half assessing, measuring and photographing the top and bottom chord members, abutments and deck. The river was frozen solid so the team could inspect underneath while standing on the ice – no boat, no scaffolding necessary! The Workin’ Bridges’ Scope of Work report was recently submitted to the city and on Monday, June 1 at 6:30 the third part of the Workin’ Bridges contract will take place with a community meeting led by WB project manager, Julie Bowers. You are all invited, as well as the mayor, city officials, bridge historians and enthusiasts, engineering professors and students, bicyclists and walkers. Please mark your calendars, bring your friends and find out what it will take to open the Hotel Bridge.
National Register of Historic Places
Hotel Bridge has an excellent chance of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places which could allow access to grant funding for restoration. On Tuesday, April 28, the Northampton Department of Public Works submitted the Leeds Civic Association’s nomination for the Hotel Bridge to be officially recognized as a national historic place. The nomination must first be evaluated by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, a process which can take 14 to 18 months, before they then submit it to the the National Historic Register. Letters of support from Mayor Narkewicz; DPW director, Ned Huntley; The Mill River Greenway Initiative chairman, John Sinton; and Northampton Historical Commission Chair, David Drake were included with the application. Volunteer researchers, writers, and editors helped with the application. Many thanks to Penny Geis, Jim Montgomery, Jason Johnson, Sue Carbin, Heidi Stevens, Megan Freedman, Megan McNally, and Andy Kuether.
00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-05-04 18:22:592015-05-04 18:22:59Important Community Meeting: June 1st
The weather was pretty near perfect for the April 25th village clean up. Twenty seven volunteers turned out. Don Willard and his band of enthusiastic ATVers whipped through Sylvester Rd. Ben Weil, Jason Johnson, Tim Reynolds (and little helpers Rafe, Adi, Luco), Ananda Lennox, Rachel, Julia, Nava, and Patricia, did a great job on Reservoir Rd…they even pulled a sleeper couch out of Robert’s Meadow Brook! Joanne Kelliher covered Audubon as she does every year and Annie Morehouse and Mary Hulbert did Water St. Margie Riddle took care of Arch St. and Rob did the trail off of Arch down to Look Park. Penny Geis and her grandson, Leo, did the area around Top Dam. Chartpak sent two employees out on Friday, April 24th, to clean up River Rd. So, Leeds is looking pretty good.
The bad news is that while Rob was down picking up litter on the trail his bike was stolen. So, if anyone happened to see two guys pushing a bike or riding on a bike down Arch or Florence Street the morning of April 25th between 8 and 8:30am please let us know.
Tom Quinn and I hauled all the trash up to the dumpster provided by the Northampton DPW. And everybody got a coupon from Friendly’s for a free ice cream sundae!
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-05-03 19:43:402015-05-03 19:43:40People pitch in at Leeds Civic Litter Pick-Up
Three Smith College engineering students have completed their senior capstone project designing a bike path spur from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to Main Street in Leeds. The bike spur would curve down to Main Street along the border of the Alternative Recycle lot. The proposed bike spur project helps to focus attention on the Hotel Bridge and how it is a much needed span that when opened offers folks a route to Water Street, Roberts Hill Conservation Area and Musante Beach.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-05-03 18:42:342015-05-03 18:42:34Rail Trail spur to Hotel Bridge
Hotel Bridge Update
Julie Bowers of Workin’ Bridges, the iron bridge restoration outfit that performed a March 2015 site visit and submitted a scope of work report on Hotel Bridge, has done further reseach on lifting Hotel Bridge to the parking lot across Main Street to make the repairs on land. Bowers contacted the utility companies over the summer to determine what actions might be feasable. Her findings to date follow: Moving electric, cable, and phone is doable. The big hinderance is that there is a Columbia Gas service line that runs across the south side of the bridge deck. The line carries gas to Water Street customers. Rerouting the line would be expensive (Columbia gas pays the city for use of resources). Temporary piles to hold the gas line in place while the bridge is moved would be expensive as well. Unfortunately, in order to move Hotel Bridge to land it would require two 500 ton cranes, and dollies, not the smaller crane that Julie used for the quote given at the June 1st community meeting. The conclusion drawn is that it is not a feasable alternative to move the bridge to the parking lot for repairs.
Julie is currently seeking further information from the engineering firm, Stantec Associates, that ran the original load capacity numbers on the bridge. Stantec used heavy tonnage to determine the load capacity. Workin’ Bridges would like them to rerun the load capacity using more realistic pedestrian only weight figures. Just a few days ago Paul Duquette of Stantec responded to Julie’s inquiries and said he will be conferring with his structural and legal team to see if they can change a recommendation with new data. If they are able to rerun the data, fewer repairs will have to be done in order to make the bridge safe for pedestrians. Of course the City, as owners of the bridge, would have to support the plan.
Orange Dam Summer Update
Orange Dam/Riverfront Trashing/Bike Path Development-Leeds Civic Association members, Chartpak owners, and the Northampton Police Department met to develop a strategy around the ongoing abuse of the river and area around Orange Dam. This was following the graffiti issues we had there last month, and ongoing complaints from locals about abuse of the area. This has resulted in improved posting of the area, increased police presence. The level of use has not seemed to have been altered much and there have been mixed results regarding trash, fires, and noise. We have requested for improved signage at the entrance to the trail from Planning, but the construction planned for this summer, and the difficulty in enforcing activity is not providing solutions as fast as some of us would like. If you see abusive activity there, call the police, that is about as much as we can do at this time. NPD Phone Number 413-587-1100
Hotel Bridge Update
The big news from the June 1st community meeting with Workin’ Bridges project manager, Julie Bowers, is that it may be possible to move the bridge to land to make the repairs which would cut the restoration cost considerably. Questions and logistics for such a plan would need to be addressed. One of which is, if Alternative Recycling is willing to allow the bridge to be worked on for six weeks in their parking area. Julie Bowers’ initial conversation with the owner implies that it is indeed a possibility. The question of the gas line being interrupted during the lift and set would need to be addressed. Electric lines, too. The fee to research these details and logistics for the operation would cost $1,000. How the LCA moves forward will be discussed at the next LCA meeting on June 9th.
The city seems to have little interest in opening the bridge temporarily citing liability issues. Bowers will be asking DPW to have Stantec utilize the numbers that Workin’ Bridges uses for loading at occupancy which would be somewhere between 30 and 60 pounds per square foot, which is more realistic for a pedestrian bridge. Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting. A strong show of community support was important. NCTV has released a video of the meeting (see link below). Leeds Civic will continue to advocate to make Hotel Bridge a working pedestrian bridge. New people are interested in helping with grant writing and we’ll continue to fund raise. And, Leeds Civic will keep the bridge entrances looking their best. Thank you, Lora Sandhusen, for adding fresh flowers to the planters on Main Street and Water Street for the summer season.
Video of June 1st community meeting:
Consultant Says Repairs to Hotel Bridge in Leeds Could be Reduced to About $500,000
Reprinted from Daily Hampshire Gazette Article
Photo by CAROL LOLLIS
By EMMA KOLCHIN-MILLER
Gazette Contributing Writer
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
(Published in print: Tuesday, June 2, 2015)
NORTHAMPTON — A consultant told about 60 people who attended a community meeting Monday night about the historic Hotel Bridge in Leeds that a new plan could cut the estimated cost of its restoration in half — from about $1.1 million to roughly $500,000.
Julie Bowers, project manager for Workin’ Bridges of Grinnell, Iowa, which conducted an engineering study on the bridge in March, said dismantling the bridge and repairing it on land across the street would result in the lower cost.
Debated during the hour-long meeting at the Leeds School was whether the bridge could be opened to pedestrian and bicycle traffic for the summer while the city and the Leeds Civic Association, which has led efforts to restore the bridge, pursue funds for a full restoration. Workin’ Bridges and the civic association advocated temporarily reopening the bridge, while Edward Huntley, director of the city Department of Public Works, expressed concern about the safety hazards and costs involved.
Workin’ Bridges is the second firm to study the bridge. Last summer, a study by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton — funded by a $35,000 Community Preservation Act grant — found the bridge to be unsafe and in need of extensive repairs totaling $1.5 million.
Though the bridge had technically been closed, the Department of Public Works fenced it off after the Stantec Study was released.
The Stantec and the Workin’ Bridges studies both initially suggested that the bridge would need to be repaired in place, which would involve expensive machinery. However, Bowers said Monday that there is potentially enough space across the street on the land of Alternative Recycling Systems to place the bridge as it undergoes repairs.
“I took a look at the site, and it looked a lot bigger without your piles of snow around it,” Bowers said. “I thought that we could pull this bridge of and perhaps put it in Alternative Recycling right across the road.”
The repair on land would lower costs to around $500,000, according to Bowers, though her team would have to further study on that option to give a more precise estimate of the cost. That research would cost $1,000, Bowers said.
Huntley said the city does not currently have that $1,000, though he expressed support for repairing the bridge on the ground.
“I don’t have any funding for that. I’d have to find the funds in my budget somewhere, or the city would have to approve it through the cash reserves,” Huntley said in an interview after the meeting.
Heidi Stevens, vice president of the civic association, said it has over $5,000 in its bridge restoration fund. Stevens said the board would discuss using this money to hire Workin’ Bridges to research the costs of repairing the bridge in the open lot.
Bowers also presented two “repair to reopen” options that would allow the bridge to reopen for the summer while funding for longer-term repairs is sought. One option, estimated at $13,700, would reopen the bridge with an 8-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle lane, while the other, estimated at $20,300, would include asphalt patches to the bridge decking.
“I would say open it up and let you use it. The city has other concerns,” Bowers said at the meeting. “I don’t think you need to do much more than replace the section of guardrail that’s missing to open it back up and grandfather it back to the way it was.”
But Huntley said he was not satisfied with those options, and expressed concern about the asphalt patches, the deteriorating panels underneath the bridge, and its overall strength.
“Workin’ Bridges would open it tomorrow. I’m not putting my professional liability on that,” Huntley said in an interview after the meeting. “What if someone fell through the bridge, and I was the one that said it was OK to be on it?”
Huntley and Bowers said they would continue to explore ways to open the bridge for the summer.
“I support the project, I worked through the process with the CPA grant, and I look forward to doing something on this at some point. I just don’t have the time frame and there’s no funding right now,” Huntley said during the meeting.
If the DPW and civic association secure funding for any repairs, there will be a bidding process in which the “lowest qualified bidder” will be selected to do the work, according to Huntley.
People who attended the meeting said they are hopeful that the city will be able to restore the bridge.
“I used to walk across this bridge not that many years ago,” said Gary Roodman, who has lived in Leeds for 13 years. “We have a close community here, and the bridge is something we’ve taken pride in.”
City to hear latest report on effort to open historic Leeds span
Reprinted from Daily Hampshire Gazette Article
Photo by Pennington Geis
By EMMA KOLCHIN-MILLER
Gazette Contributing Writer
Thursday, May 28, 2015
(Published in print: Friday, May 29, 2015)
NORTHAMPTON — Representatives from an Iowa organization dedicated to preserving historic truss bridges will present three possibilities at a community meeting Monday for work to save the historic Hotel Bridge in Leeds: a $1.1 million full restoration of the bridge, and two repairs of $20,000 or less that would allow the bridge to reopen the bridge to pedestrian traffic while the city and the Leeds Civic Association pursue additional funding.
The civic association, which has led efforts to restore the bridge for over a decade, will hold the meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Leeds Elementary School cafeteria, 20 Florence St. The meeting will feature a presentation from the project manager for Workin’ Bridges of Grinnell, Iowa, a consulting and contracting firm that conducted an engineering study of the bridge in March.
Julie Bowers, project manager for Workin’ Bridges, said the “Scope of Work and Estimates” she will present Monday constitutes a bid for the firm to complete the engineering and construction work, if city officials decide to move forward with the project.
In addition to the Workin’ Bridges presentation, the meeting will include a question-and-answer session and a slideshow, said civic association vice president Heidi Stevens.
Workin’ Bridges is the second firm to study the bridge. Last summer, a study by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton — funded by a $35,000 Community Preservation Act grant — found the bridge to be unsafe and in need of extensive repairs.
The Department of Public Works fenced off the bridge after the Stantec study was released.
“It was technically closed to all traffic before the study, but once the study was done they actually chained it off,” Leeds Civic Association president Sue Carbin said of the bridge. “So this is where it becomes a hardship for us. Everybody who walks in this town — and everybody walks in this town — is missing that route of going down Mulberry, down Water, across the bridge.”
Mayor David Narkewicz echoed disappointment over the bridge’s closing, and offered city support to help the restoration effort.
“The bridge has degraded over time, and it’s been disappointing that it’s had to be closed because of safety concerns,” Narkewicz said. “To the extent that we can work with them and hopefully restore it as at least a foot bridge and bike bridge, that’s exciting and hopefully we can achieve that.”
Restoration costs
Both the Stantec and Workin’ Bridges studies estimate that a full restoration of the bridge would cost over $1 million and require repairs to the deck, rails, and underside of the bridge.
The Stantec study pegged the cost of repairs to be upward of $1.5 million. Repairs listed in the Stantec report included work on the deck — which has holes open to the river below — railings, and significant repairs to the floor beams, stringers, and truss members, which need to be strengthened.
The Stantec study also called for $650,000 to clean and repaint the bridge — a task and price tag civic association members initially questioned because the work would not address safety issues. The Workin’ Bridges study arrived at a similar estimate for cleaning and repainting the bridge — and the work will eventually be necessary, Bowers said.
She said that while her firm estimates the cost of a full restoration to be $1.1 million, it could cost less than $20,000 to safely reopen the bridge to pedestrian traffic. Those repairs would cover immediate safety hazards such as the holes in the decking, broken bolts, and a lack of adequate fencing, Bowers said.
The Workin’ Bridges estimates include two “repair to reopen” options. Under the least expensive option, estimated at $13,700, the bridge would reopen with an 8-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle lane. A second repair plan estimated at $20,300 would include asphalt patches to the bridge decking. Both options could allow the bridge to reopen this summer, Bowers wrote in a letter to Carbin and Department of Public Works director Edward S. Huntley.
“We could come in and repair the broken bolts and put in some fencing and fix the decking so that it could be open for limited crossing while they come up with the money for the bulk of the repairs,” Bowers said.
“They have submitted a scope-of-work report with costs,” Stevens said. “They would definitely be considered for both jobs.”
Bowers said Workin’ Bridges reached out to the civic association and offered to do the second study for $6,000 after reading news reports about efforts to restore the bridge.
To pay for the Workin’ Bridges contract, the Community Preservation Committee approved the use of roughly $5,000 left over from the $35,000 CPA grant that funded the Stantec study, and the civic association contributed $1,000 of its own money, Carbin said.
“They come in pretty close to each other,” Carbin said of the two estimates.
Of the choice to hire Workin’ Bridges for a second study, Carbin said, “We wanted Workin’ Bridges because they actually are a company that is passionate about saving old iron bridges, and they really know old iron.”
Huntley said Stantec was one of two companies to submit a proposal to lead the initial study, and Workin’ Bridges did not emerge as a possibility until recently.
Next steps
Stevens, the civic association vice president, said it will be the city’s decision whether to proceed with the less expensive repairs and reopen the bridge. The civic association is willing contribute roughly $5,000 it has raised and help apply for a CPA grant for the work, she said.
“We are well aware that it will take several years to acquire the funding for a full restoration, but there are smart, creative and dedicated people who are willing to help,” Stevens said in an email.
Stevens said she hopes city officials will come to Monday’s meeting to learn about the repair options.
Narkewicz said that if scheduling does not permit him to attend Monday’s meeting, he will send a representative from his office.
Huntley agreed that money for repairs could come from fundraising and grants, with additional funding opportunities if the bridge receives a national historic designation.
“The biggest thing is the funding, of how we would find the money to replace this,” Huntley said.
Civic association members hope to succeed in a campaign to have the bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which would make the restoration project eligible for federal grants. Last month, the Department of Public Works submitted the civic association’s nomination for the bridge to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. That agency will evaluate the nomination — a process that could take 14 to 18 months — before sending it on to the national historic register.
The nomination included a letter of support from Mayor Narkewicz.
“The Hotel Bridge is not only symbolic of the manufacturing history around Leeds, but is part of a larger American architectural and engineering story,” Narkewicz’s letter reads in part. “Today, Leeds remains a thriving part of Northampton — and the ability to restore the bridge would serve as a useful link between the extension of the Norwottuck Rail Trail and the Roberts Hill conservation area and Musante Beach swimming area, offering pedestrians and bicyclists a connection to local recreational resources.”
In an interview, Narkewicz pledged continued support for the effort.
“We’ve been trying to be supportive of that effort to secure placement on the historic register, and then we’ll continue to try to be supportive in assisting them with the effort to restore the bridge,” Narkewicz said. “I know that there’s private fundraising going on, and there are obviously other historic preservation kinds of funds out there that we can work with them on.”
Carbin said she has seen significant community support for the project.
“Most of the people who live in Leeds have used that bridge and miss it,” she said. “I hope we get a lot of questions from people in the community as to what they’d like to see.”
A meaningful bridge
The single-lane iron truss bridge, sometimes called Old Shepherd Road Bridge, was built in 1880 and is the oldest bridge in Northampton. Over the years, it offered a river crossing to stagecoaches and then cars, but it has been closed to vehicle traffic since 2004.
“It’s really a part of the history of Northampton that needs to be preserved,” said Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein. “It’s just been a vital factor in the life of the village of Leeds and Northampton as a whole.”
Leeds resident Tom Quinn offered childhood memories that included jumping off the bridge into the river with his friends, and fishing beneath the bridge. He said he took his daughter, 10, fishing under the bridge last weekend — though he wishes she could enjoy full access to it.
“It’s just sad to see the state that the bridge is in now — closed, off limits. It’s just sitting there rotting,” Quinn said.
According to Jason Johnson, chairman of the Leeds chapter of the Mill River Greenway Initiative, the bridge offers a connection to both the history of Leeds and the river.
“It gives you not only a sense historically of what was going on in the town 150 years ago, but it also puts you in a really unique vantage point to see the river and experience what’s going on from its very center,” Johnson said.
Narkewicz reiterated the bridge’s value to “ecotourism” in Northampton.
“We have a lot of people come to Northampton to ride and experience our bike trails, so to the extent that this becomes another spur off of or a link as part of our existing rail trail system, I think it adds that value as well,” Narkewicz said.
Restoration – Community Meeting with Workin’ Bridges
The Workin’ Bridges community meeting will be held Monday, June 1st at 6:30pm at Leeds School Cafeteria. In addition to Workin’ Bridges presenting a plan for full restoration and the cost involved, a plan to open the bridge to foot traffic and bicycles while restoration funding is sought will be offered. The city of Northampton owns the bridge and must approve of any bridge opening. If the historic 1880 iron bridge can be opened in a safe way, it will greatly improve the enjoyment and movement of Leeds folks and others who relied on the bridge to cross the river. An open bridge will also increase restoration fund raising opportunities.
What made this special meeting come about:
The Community Preservation Act grant that was used in 2011 to hire Stantec Assoc. to assess the bridge had a balance of $5,292. Rather than use the funds for a Stantec public meeting about their findings (which are available for free on the Northampton website), the LCA requested that the money be used to hire Workin’ Bridges, a team of iron bridge specialists, to perform a site visit, submit a scope of work report, and hold a larger community meeting here in Leeds.
The LCA, DPW, and Workin’ Bridges took advantage of the frozen river in early March by quickly organizing the site-visit. The WB site-visit team consisted of iron worker, Nels Raynor of Bach Steele, Jim Schiffer, bridge engineer and Julie Bowers, project manager. They flew in, spent a day and a half assessing, measuring and photographing the top and bottom chord members, abutments and deck. The river was frozen solid so the team could inspect underneath while standing on the ice – no boat, no scaffolding necessary! The Workin’ Bridges’ Scope of Work report was recently submitted to the city and on Monday, June 1 at 6:30 the third part of the Workin’ Bridges contract will take place with a community meeting led by WB project manager, Julie Bowers. You are all invited, as well as the mayor, city officials, bridge historians and enthusiasts, engineering professors and students, bicyclists and walkers. Please mark your calendars, bring your friends and find out what it will take to open the Hotel Bridge.
National Register of Historic Places
Hotel Bridge has an excellent chance of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places which could allow access to grant funding for restoration. On Tuesday, April 28, the Northampton Department of Public Works submitted the Leeds Civic Association’s nomination for the Hotel Bridge to be officially recognized as a national historic place. The nomination must first be evaluated by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, a process which can take 14 to 18 months, before they then submit it to the the National Historic Register. Letters of support from Mayor Narkewicz; DPW director, Ned Huntley; The Mill River Greenway Initiative chairman, John Sinton; and Northampton Historical Commission Chair, David Drake were included with the application. Volunteer researchers, writers, and editors helped with the application. Many thanks to Penny Geis, Jim Montgomery, Jason Johnson, Sue Carbin, Heidi Stevens, Megan Freedman, Megan McNally, and Andy Kuether.
Leeds Mill River Greenway History Walk
by Penny Geis
photo by John Body, MRGI
Last year, I joined the Mill River Greenway Initiative on several of their river walks guided by people who know the history and the ecology of the river. On one walk I saw where the river used to run through downtown Northampton. This spring, an MRGI canoe trip took us through the floodplain forest and marsh just before our Mill River joins the Connecticut River at Acadia. An Audubon ecologist guided us to an owl nest, where his young daughter spotted a baby Great Horned Owl on a branch just above the water in front of us. For ten or fifteen minutes, we stilled our canoes and our hearts as we watched that baby owl just “this” far in front of us.
MRGI offers guided walks and paddles. I loved the walks – and highly recommend them. But don’t delay; you have to sign up early, because they fill up fast. Go to their website at MillRiverGreenway.org for information about this year’s walks, for information about the history and ecology of the Mill River, and to volunteer to help with projects in art, history, pulling invasive species, children’s activities, and more.
Important Community Meeting: June 1st
The Workin’ Bridges community meeting will be held Monday, June 1st at 6:30pm at Leeds School Cafeteria. In addition to Workin’ Bridges presenting a plan for full restoration and the cost involved, a plan to open the bridge to foot traffic and bicycles while restoration funding is sought will be offered. The city of Northampton owns the bridge and must approve of any bridge opening. If the historic 1880 iron bridge can be opened in a safe way, it will greatly improve the enjoyment and movement of Leeds folks and others who relied on the bridge to cross the river. An open bridge will also increase restoration fund raising opportunities.
What made this special meeting come about:
The Community Preservation Act grant that was used in 2011 to hire Stantec Assoc. to assess the bridge had a balance of $5,292. Rather than use the funds for a Stantec public meeting about their findings (which are available for free on the Northampton website), the LCA requested that the money be used to hire Workin’ Bridges, a team of iron bridge specialists, to perform a site visit, submit a scope of work report, and hold a larger community meeting here in Leeds.
The LCA, DPW, and Workin’ Bridges took advantage of the frozen river in early March by quickly organizing the site-visit. The WB site-visit team consisted of iron worker, Nels Raynor of Bach Steele, Jim Schiffer, bridge engineer and Julie Bowers, project manager. They flew in, spent a day and a half assessing, measuring and photographing the top and bottom chord members, abutments and deck. The river was frozen solid so the team could inspect underneath while standing on the ice – no boat, no scaffolding necessary! The Workin’ Bridges’ Scope of Work report was recently submitted to the city and on Monday, June 1 at 6:30 the third part of the Workin’ Bridges contract will take place with a community meeting led by WB project manager, Julie Bowers. You are all invited, as well as the mayor, city officials, bridge historians and enthusiasts, engineering professors and students, bicyclists and walkers. Please mark your calendars, bring your friends and find out what it will take to open the Hotel Bridge.
National Register of Historic Places
Hotel Bridge has an excellent chance of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places which could allow access to grant funding for restoration. On Tuesday, April 28, the Northampton Department of Public Works submitted the Leeds Civic Association’s nomination for the Hotel Bridge to be officially recognized as a national historic place. The nomination must first be evaluated by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, a process which can take 14 to 18 months, before they then submit it to the the National Historic Register. Letters of support from Mayor Narkewicz; DPW director, Ned Huntley; The Mill River Greenway Initiative chairman, John Sinton; and Northampton Historical Commission Chair, David Drake were included with the application. Volunteer researchers, writers, and editors helped with the application. Many thanks to Penny Geis, Jim Montgomery, Jason Johnson, Sue Carbin, Heidi Stevens, Megan Freedman, Megan McNally, and Andy Kuether.
People pitch in at Leeds Civic Litter Pick-Up
by Sue Carbin
The weather was pretty near perfect for the April 25th village clean up. Twenty seven volunteers turned out. Don Willard and his band of enthusiastic ATVers whipped through Sylvester Rd. Ben Weil, Jason Johnson, Tim Reynolds (and little helpers Rafe, Adi, Luco), Ananda Lennox, Rachel, Julia, Nava, and Patricia, did a great job on Reservoir Rd…they even pulled a sleeper couch out of Robert’s Meadow Brook! Joanne Kelliher covered Audubon as she does every year and Annie Morehouse and Mary Hulbert did Water St. Margie Riddle took care of Arch St. and Rob did the trail off of Arch down to Look Park. Penny Geis and her grandson, Leo, did the area around Top Dam. Chartpak sent two employees out on Friday, April 24th, to clean up River Rd. So, Leeds is looking pretty good.
The bad news is that while Rob was down picking up litter on the trail his bike was stolen. So, if anyone happened to see two guys pushing a bike or riding on a bike down Arch or Florence Street the morning of April 25th between 8 and 8:30am please let us know.
Tom Quinn and I hauled all the trash up to the dumpster provided by the Northampton DPW. And everybody got a coupon from Friendly’s for a free ice cream sundae!
Rail Trail spur to Hotel Bridge
Three Smith College engineering students have completed their senior capstone project designing a bike path spur from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to Main Street in Leeds. The bike spur would curve down to Main Street along the border of the Alternative Recycle lot. The proposed bike spur project helps to focus attention on the Hotel Bridge and how it is a much needed span that when opened offers folks a route to Water Street, Roberts Hill Conservation Area and Musante Beach.