The extreme cold temps that continued month after month this winter turned out to be lucky for Leeds in one regard; the Mill River stayed frozen long enough for the iron bridge restoration team, Workin’ Bridges, to get a close-up look at the Hotel Bridge. When Workin’ Bridges suggested they come to see the bridge while there was still ice, the preparations moved very quickly. The site-visit was coordinated and delivered in the span of 1 week. With the cooperation of the DPW and the City’s chief procurement officer, the LCA was allowed to front the portion of the Workin’ Bridges fee for the site-visit, and Workin’ Bridges was able to get their flights arranged to make the visit happen before temps rose and the ice melted.
They climbed on and inspected the top chord, got a good look at the deck. Standing on the ice they could easily touch, measure, and photograph the components underneath. The site visit took place on Sunday, March 8th and there was a meeting with DPW and the LCA the next day. Workin’ Bridges will be sending their restoration recommendations and costs to the city in the next few weeks. Julie Bowers, WB project manager, will be returning to Leeds on June 1 for the Workin’ Bridges Town Hall style public meeting. She will lay out their findings and propose options for restoration. All Leeds residents are invited to come to this event and show support for restoring the oldest Pratt through truss iron bridge in the state….which happens to reside in our village of Leeds!
Little things and little amounts matter. Efforts by the LCA and volunteers over the past 5 years made the Workin’ Bridges site-visit possible. Four bicycle ride fund raisers occurred in the past 5 years, organized by Alice Baedecker and Stephy Cho. Several dozen Leeds hats, Hotel Bridge shirts, greeting cards, and mugs have been sold. All of the proceeds from these ventures were available in the LCA Hotel Bridge account when the time was ripe to have the iron bridge team assess our bridge’s needs. Thank you to everyone who contributed in these efforts or purchased an item. The LCA will continue to offer mugs, shirts and cards for sale to benefit the bridge restoration. Other fund raisers large and small are being planned. To find out how you can get involved please email: leedscivicassoc@gmail.com.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-04-24 19:11:222015-05-24 19:14:34Expert Iron Bridge Team, Workin’ Bridges, Inspected Hotel Bridge
The extreme cold temps that continued month after month this winter turned out to be lucky for Leeds in one regard; the Mill River stayed frozen long enough for the iron bridge restoration team, Workin’ Bridges, to get a close-up look at the Hotel Bridge. When Workin’ Bridges suggested they come to see the bridge while there was still ice, the preparations moved very quickly. The site-visit was coordinated and delivered in the span of 1 week. With the cooperation of the DPW and the City’s chief procurement officer, the LCA was allowed to front the portion of the Workin’ Bridges fee for the site-visit, and Workin’ Bridges was able to get their flights arranged to make the visit happen before temps rose and the ice melted. They climbed on and inspected the top chord, got a good look at the deck. Standing on the ice they could easily touch, measure, and photograph the components underneath. The site visit took place on Sunday, March 8th and there was a meeting with DPW and the LCA the next day. Workin’ Bridges will be sending their restoration recommendations and costs to the city in the next few weeks. Julie Bowers, WB project manager, will be returning to Leeds on June 1 for the Workin’ Bridges Town Hall style public meeting. She will lay out their findings and propose options for restoration. All Leeds residents are invited to come to this event and show support for restoring the oldest Pratt through truss iron bridge in the state…. which happens to reside in our village of Leeds! Little things and little amounts matter. Efforts by the LCA and volunteers over the past 5 years made the Workin’ Bridges site-visit possible. Four bicycle ride fund raisers occurred in the past 5 years, organized by Alice Baedecker and Stephy Cho. Several dozen Leeds hats, Hotel Bridge shirts, greeting cards, and mugs have been sold. All of the proceeds from these ventures were available in the LCA Hotel Bridge account when the time was ripe to have the iron bridge team assess our bridge’s needs. Thank you to everyone who contributed in these efforts or purchased an item. The LCA will continue to offer mugs, shirts and cards for sale to benefit the bridge restoration. Other fund raisers large and small are being planned. To find out how you can get involved please email: leedscivicassoc@gmail.com.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-04-18 17:20:002015-04-18 17:20:00Expert Iron Bridge Team, Workin’ Bridges, Inspected Hotel Bridge
The Leeds Civic Association has been in discussion with the DPW to bring Workin’ Bridges, the organization that specializes in helping communities bring their bridges back into use.
The original 2011 CPA funds used to hire Stantec Associates to assess the bridge has a balance remaining of $5,292. Rather than use the funds for a public meeting by Stantec about their findings (which are available for free on the Northampton website), the LCA has suggested to the DPW and the Planning Dept that the money be used to hire Workin’ Bridges to do a site visit and an assessment on the Hotel Bridge. Their 2-3 day visit will also include a community town hall style information meeting about the bridge restoration, a meeting with DPW engineers and the LCA. Workin’ Bridges will also provide, within two weeks of their site visit, a Scope of Work proposal which will break down the repair work step by step and give a cost estimate for each repair. Having this information will be helpful when applying for restoration grants and holding fund raisers for specific restoration goals. The available CPA funds almost meets Workin’ Bridges’ fee. The balance will come from the LCA-Hotel bridge fund. Scheduling details for the site visit are in the works.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-02-05 19:10:022015-05-25 12:18:33Remaining CPA Funds – New site visit
So many things have happened in the natural world of Leeds that one can get breathless – bird and animal sightings to the transformation of the Mill River from 7 inches of skateable ice to ice-free in less than 12 hours (Sunday 1/19). But maybe the most interesting occurrence happened back on an early January eve when several neighbors gathered around from 5:45-6:45 to view something called “light pillars.” These optical phenomenons are made in very cold temperatures when falling ice crystals are present in the atmosphere – needing some unusual weather circumstances to occur (too scientific to explain). Anyway, the setting sun and moon can generate these pillars in the sky and artificial lighting can create even greater, taller pillars. This is what the neighbors witnessed on that early January eve. Chartpak’s yellowish parking lot lights shot way, way into the sky as if they were giant stationary spotlights which changed in texture so slowly. Over near the Overlook Nursing Home (now called Highview of Northampton) the columns were white, emanating from the street lights. To look at them it felt like you could have been beamed up to a UFO. In fact, these pillars often generate UFO calls. Niagara Falls is one place in particular where they are regularly seen. While our Mill River dams and falls are no Niagara, it’s sure nice to know that here in Leeds you don’t have to be honeymooners or vacationers to see special things. All you have to do is take advantage of what we have and step out of your door into your very own neighborhood.
Click photo to enlarge
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-01-31 19:35:292015-01-31 19:35:29Phenomenon in Leeds
I don’t know if anyone has been walking around the river, with the conditions so treacherous over the last two days. Sunday night I went out into my back yard on Main Street and found the entire river flowing across the rear portion of my property. This is the third time this has happened in the 14 years that I’ve lived here, once during Hurricane Irene, and another spring flood, but never in winter.
In the morning I walked up to the bridge to find a huge conglomerate of ice stuck on the Western bank around the Hotel Bridge, and a living room sized ice berg in the middle of the channel effectively directing the majority of flow under the main street bridge causing the flooding, the entire channel extending around the three parcels is completely blocked with ice. Again in my time here this is a first. We are hoping for a gentle warming and spring breakup, with no large rain events, otherwise we may be in trouble.
– Jason Johnson
Pictures showing the arctic landscape and volume of ice, (pretty) and pretty cool, take a look…
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2015-01-20 22:47:112015-01-20 22:47:11Mill River Ice Jams
Leeds Civic Association members have been busy this summer and early fall attending meetings and speaking with city officials about the need to restore the 1880’s bridge to a walking bridge. Ward 7 city councilor, Alisa Klein has been helpful in getting the Hotel Bridge on the agenda at these city committee meetings and the city is in support of a restoration effort.
Since the bridge closed this summer, three newspapers have run articles about the Hotel Bridge. After the Sept. 16th front page Gazette article came out the LCA was contacted by the director of Workin’ Bridges, an Iowa based organization committed to helping communities restore their historic iron bridges. Workin’ Bridges’ engineers are experts in iron and passionate about saving historic bridges.We hope to have the Workin’ Bridges team visit the bridge, assess the scope of work, meet with city officials, and help us layout a step-by-step plan for restoration. In the mean time we will be consulting with UMass civil engineering professor, Sanjay Arwade. An application is being prepared to have the Hotel Bridge placed on the National Register of Historic Places which will then make it eligible for certain grants. A bike ride fund raiser for the Hotel Bridge will take place this coming Spring which will be organized by Alice Baedecker and Stephy Cho. Along with securing grant funding, support from the community is needed. A few fundraising ideas being considered are Hotel Bridge mugs, calendars, cards, shirts, and of course –good old individual contributions which can be made out to: LCA-Hotel Bridge Account and mailed to Florence Savings Bank, 85 Main Street, Florence 01062.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2014-11-22 21:51:282015-01-23 18:08:20Restoring the Hotel Bridge to a Walking Bridge
We are mixing up a few things, and keeping some things the same. The LCA volunteers who plan this shin-dig kindly request this year that each family carve at least one pumpkin. Carve more if you can, as many as you like to make the pumpkin display the biggest and best ever. We have no specific requests of our beloved seniors, simply that they come and enjoy what the party has to offer. If seniors want to contribute by carving a pumpkin…by all means, go for it! The more the better.
Friday, October 24th, the day before the party there will be tables set up on Chestnut Street just below Upland where individuals and families can carve together. (We really are trying to make this easy for you!!) Bring your pumpkins and if possible, bring your tools.
The biggest change to this years’ party is …No Voting! Instead, there will be three grab bag categories: kid pumpkin, youth pumpkin, and family pumpkin. If you bring at least one pumpkin creation you get a grab bag prize. Who knows what your prize will be, could be something silly, delicious, or even valuable! Individual adult carvers will be eligible for the homemade apple pie raffle.
There will be hot cider and warm homemade soups to taste, and baked potatoes with the all the fixin’s to eat. Please sign up to bring a soup, bread, side dish or dessert by going to the LCA website LeedsCivic.org and clicking on the SignUp Genius link. For those who do not have internet access, you may contact Amy Quinn at 413-586-0283.
The kid’s wild and wonderful pumpkin roll will start at 4:30. There will be a prize for both first and second place. Hot food will be available after the pumpkin roll. The grab bags and apple pie raffle will be over by 8:00-ish. Plenty of time for everyone to get a good nights’ sleep!
With a good attitude, carving a pumpkin can be really fun whether you do it alone or with family or friends. We suggest you make an event out of it. Don’t let the potential of making a mess (or mess up) stop you. The clean up can be made easy too, if you lay down several layers of newspaper on your work surface you can just roll it up when done and throw it away or put it in the compost. Even if you don’t consider yourself creative we know you can do this! Don’t forget to bring something to light up your pumpkin at the party! Drop your pumpkins off at the party site between 3:00 and 5:00. Remember to check in, so you can be part of the grab bag and raffle!
Tips for how to get it done
Mark OCTOBER 25 on your calendar…NOW! (raindate is October 26th)
Start thinking about what you might create.
Go get a pumpkin (or more than one).
Collect your tools.
Decide where you will carve.
Start the night or day before the party.
Go to the group carving on Oct 24.
Create your own carving get-together.
Make the pumpkin carving a family event.
What you will need
A posititve attitude
A pumpkin!
Idea of what to carve or how to decorate, or… just dig in!
Why you should bring a pumpkin?
Because its a pumpkin party!
Our terrific community has kept this annual party happening for 21 years! The pumpkin YOU bring this year will help the tradition continue.
Tools and supplies:
Covering for your work surface
Crayon to draw shapes + designs
Wet rag to erase crayon
Various sized knives for carving
Big metal spoon to scrape out “pumpkin guts”
Stuff to attach
Pins, toothpicks, wire to attach stuff
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2014-10-08 10:22:462014-10-08 10:22:46Time for another Leeds Pumpkin Party!
Leeds Bike Trail Extension Walking Tour – Oct 6th at 4:30
A walking tour of the MassCentral Rail Trail Extension project which will run along the Mill River from Mulberry Street to South Main Street in Haydenville has been scheduled for October 6th at 4:30 by Wayne Feiden. The walking tour is not a preliminary walk, it is required to be given to the hired engineering firm under the Request For Proposal. Representatives from Pro Terra Design Group will be on the tour and available to hear your input about the plan.
Leeds residents are invited to go along on the walk. Many of you may have responded to the Mill River Greenway Initiative’s Leeds’ survey regarding trail usage and surfacing. Some of you may have attended the public meeting about the trail project at Leeds School back in March. Attending the walk is an additional way for you to share your thoughts and concerns about how the final MassCentral Rail Trail Extension should be designed. The Mill River and the rail trail that currently runs beside it are important and unique features of Leeds. The design of a bike extension should be undertaken with as much input from Leeds residents as possible. Drainage, run off, trail width, surface choice, cost of future maintenance of the trail, who will be responsible for such maintenance, amount of trees to be lost, invasive species overtaking cleared areas are all aspects to be seriously considered and openly addressed before a responsible design can be drawn up. The walk will begin at 4:30 PM. Please meet at the north end of Grove Avenue where the bike path begins.
_______________________________
$190,000 available for Leeds traffic calming
Community Meeting Oct 6th, 7:00, Leeds School
Your comments, traffic observations, and suggestions are needed at this Leeds community meeting. We asked Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Sustainability, to detail the sources of the funds and where they can legally be spent. His explanation follows:
Total funds received: $199,690 from Chestnut Extension ($47,500) 64 Reservoir Road ($4,000), Zoe Life Care ($152,350)
Funds spent: DPW legal ad ($160), DPW mitigation already made (we do NOT have a final accounting but for planning purposes assume $10,000.)
How can the dollars be spent and where?
1. Any improvement that reduces traffic on Main Street, Florence Street, Leonard, and Front Street because that would offset increasing traffic from Zoe Life Care and Chestnut Extension. This could include rail trail on ramps at the northerly Look Park entrance and at Main Street in Leeds center. It could also include Hotel Bridge just for the $4,000 from 64 Reservoir Road.
2. Any improvements that make roads safer in the area that we expect the traffic impacts from these projects, whether it be traffic calming or sidewalks or intersection safety improvements. For the Zoe Life Care funds that is Main, Florence, Leonard, and Front Streets and possibly East Center Street. For Chestnut Extension it could also include any of the streets north of Florence Street and east of Route 9. For the small amount from Reservoir Road it could include improvements on Reservoir Road.
3. ALL costs have to be durable capital costs. Crosswalk signs, for example, of the type we put in the middle of intersections are NOT durable and disappear and are not capital costs. All hard surface bricks and mortar projects are fine. Crosswalk and pavement markings are OK ONLY if the marking starts a process that DPW agrees to maintain but not if its a one time application that will disappear in two years.
Please take time to think about the options Wayne has laid out and bring your thoughts and ideas to the meeting.
Leeds group makes push to preserve beloved Hotel Bridge
By Chad Cain
Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
NORTHAMPTON — As a special police officer for Northampton nearly five decades ago, Chuck Dunning had frequent occasion to cross the iconic Hotel Bridge as part of his job walking the beat in Leeds.
He remembers lingering on the bridge during those walks like it was yesterday.
“In the summer time, it was always a pleasure to cross the iron bridge, stopping and admiring the scenery,” Dunning said by email from his home in Florida. “Strange. I’m now 81 and it was like yesterday that I can remember walking over the bridge. It holds great memories, as the entire village of Leeds does.”
So when Dunning heard about a fledgling effort spearheaded by the Leeds Civic Association to save the dilapidated bridge spanning the Mill River between Water and Main streets, he fired off an email offering to donate to the project.
He’s not the only one waxing nostalgic, said Heidi Stevens, the association’s vice president. “We’ve been getting emails like this from a lot of people sharing their memories about the bridge,” she said.
That’s partly why a group of Leeds residents led by the civic association is reviving a long-desired effort to raise money to restore and preserve the bridge for pedestrian use. The effort is taking on renewed significance this summer now that the bridge is on its last legs and in recent weeks has been permanently blocked off to walkers and bicyclists.
“It really is a beloved bridge here in Leeds,” Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein said. “It has this incredible history.”
The single-lane iron truss bridge, constructed in 1880, was named after the Leeds Hotel, which was built next to it in 1885 to accommodate the village’s growing population. The historic structure is also known as Old Shepherd Road Bridge.
Over the years, the bridge became a key passage over the Mill River, first for stagecoaches and later for vehicles that served the manufacturing hub. And in more recent times, the bridge has been a popular pedestrian and bicycle way for people wanting to visit the Roberts Hill Conservation Area, Musante Beach, and the post office, among other sites.
In addition to being the oldest bridge in Northampton, the Hotel Bridge is the sixth-oldest iron bridge in the state.
“The bridge represents the heart of our community,” said Jason Johnson, chairman of the Leeds chapter of the Mill River Greenway Initiative. “The bridge is really this vital artery of transportation for a lot of members of the town.”
Fenced off
The Mill River Greenway is backing efforts to preserve the bridge as part of its overall mission to design a greenway that connects people to the river.
The bridge has been closed to vehicles since 2004 when the city installed Jersey barriers on each end. Pedestrians and bicyclists continued to cross the bridge over the last decade, despite signs warning against it. That changed about a month ago when the Department of Public Works installed a chain-link fence on both sides of the bridge to keep people off it for good.
DPW Director Edward S. Huntley said the corrugated metal decking of the deck has missing pieces and there are holes in the pavement. “Basically, someone could get really hurt up there,” he said. “You can see the water through the bridge.”
The decision to fence off the bridge was made because of findings of a recently completed engineering study that analyzed its structural integrity and pinpointed weaknesses in certain beams, among other problems. The $35,000 study completed by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton was financed by a Community Preservation Act grant awarded last year to the DPW at the behest of the civic association.
“The impetus here is, we were still using the bridge up until last month,” said Susan Carbin, civic association president. “Now everybody is feeling the pinch.”
Carbin said people are longing to use the bridge again, which she said is “absolutely part of Leeds” and historically significant to all of Northampton.
The Stantec study pegged the bridge repairs at $1.5 million, although civic association members believe they will not need to spend near that amount to address safety issues. Carbin pointed out that $650,000 of that estimate is for painting alone, a feature that is not vital to safety.
The group intends to enlist the help of Alan Lutenegger, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and engineers who live in Leeds and want to help with the project, Stevens said.
Lutenegger said Monday that preserving these kinds of structures is an important way to understand a society’s heritage, especially in terms of engineering. While some bridges are preserved for vehicle traffic, he said, it’s just as useful to try to save them for pedestrian use.
“It’s a great learning tool for students at all levels,” he said. “To see where you’re going in the future, you need to look at where you’ve been in the past. That’s certainly true in all types of engineering.”
Historic designation
While various fundraisers have taken place over the last several years in an effort to raise money to fix the bridge, including an annual bike ride, the renewed effort by the civic association will involve a more elaborate strategy.
“The Leeds Civic Association and volunteers want to raise awareness in Leeds and throughout Northampton about the value of this bridge to the city and to the state,” Stevens said.
The civic association, with the support of the Board of Public Works and the City Council, intends to submit an application in the coming months to the Massachusetts Historical Commission seeking to have the bridge certified as an historic structure. That designation will then allow the group to apply for federal grants from the National Register of Historic Places to help pay for the repairs.
Klein said these types of iron truss bridges were only constructed for a short period of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and about half of the bridges constructed have been lost over the last two decades. A renewed push at the federal level to save historic bridges is now underway, she said.
“There is a feeling among preservationists that we are losing key pieces of our history,” Klein said. “Preservation of historical bridges is one of the key goals for the U.S. at the federal level.”
She said the group has no intention of asking the city to use capital money for the project.
The goal is to have the bridge repaired and reopened for foot traffic, Stevens said.
While the fundraising effort is in its early stages, Stevens said in the meantime the civic association is doing what it can to beautify the area. DPW crews removed the Jersey barriers late last week and replaced them with cement planters purchased by the association. Those planters have since been filled with flowers.
In a related project, Huntley said engineering students from Smith College will study the possibility of creating a spur from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to the bridge.
In addition to its historical significance as an engineering and architectural structure, a restored bridge that’s linked to the bike path could have a positive economic impact for Leeds, Stevens believes. She said a community in Simsbury, Connecticut, that restored a similar bridge now rents it out for community events, weddings and more. The bridge is decorated with flower baskets and is a popular walking spot, she said.
“It is something that has really unified a lot of people in Leeds,” Klein said. “Everybody has a story about the bridge. It really is held in the hearts of Leeds.”
By Chad Cain
Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
NORTHAMPTON — As a special police officer for Northampton nearly five decades ago, Chuck Dunning had frequent occasion to cross the iconic Hotel Bridge as part of his job walking the beat in Leeds.
He remembers lingering on the bridge during those walks like it was yesterday.
“In the summer time, it was always a pleasure to cross the iron bridge, stopping and admiring the scenery,” Dunning said by email from his home in Florida. “Strange. I’m now 81 and it was like yesterday that I can remember walking over the bridge. It holds great memories, as the entire village of Leeds does.”
So when Dunning heard about a fledgling effort spearheaded by the Leeds Civic Association to save the dilapidated bridge spanning the Mill River between Water and Main streets, he fired off an email offering to donate to the project.
He’s not the only one waxing nostalgic, said Heidi Stevens, the association’s vice president. “We’ve been getting emails like this from a lot of people sharing their memories about the bridge,” she said.
That’s partly why a group of Leeds residents led by the civic association is reviving a long-desired effort to raise money to restore and preserve the bridge for pedestrian use. The effort is taking on renewed significance this summer now that the bridge is on its last legs and in recent weeks has been permanently blocked off to walkers and bicyclists.
“It really is a beloved bridge here in Leeds,” Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein said. “It has this incredible history.”
The single-lane iron truss bridge, constructed in 1880, was named after the Leeds Hotel, which was built next to it in 1885 to accommodate the village’s growing population. The historic structure is also known as Old Shepherd Road Bridge.
Over the years, the bridge became a key passage over the Mill River, first for stagecoaches and later for vehicles that served the manufacturing hub. And in more recent times, the bridge has been a popular pedestrian and bicycle way for people wanting to visit the Roberts Hill Conservation Area, Musante Beach, and the post office, among other sites.
In addition to being the oldest bridge in Northampton, the Hotel Bridge is the sixth-oldest iron bridge in the state.
“The bridge represents the heart of our community,” said Jason Johnson, chairman of the Leeds chapter of the Mill River Greenway Initiative. “The bridge is really this vital artery of transportation for a lot of members of the town.”
Fenced off
The Mill River Greenway is backing efforts to preserve the bridge as part of its overall mission to design a greenway that connects people to the river.
The bridge has been closed to vehicles since 2004 when the city installed Jersey barriers on each end. Pedestrians and bicyclists continued to cross the bridge over the last decade, despite signs warning against it. That changed about a month ago when the Department of Public Works installed a chain-link fence on both sides of the bridge to keep people off it for good.
DPW Director Edward S. Huntley said the corrugated metal decking of the deck has missing pieces and there are holes in the pavement. “Basically, someone could get really hurt up there,” he said. “You can see the water through the bridge.”
The decision to fence off the bridge was made because of findings of a recently completed engineering study that analyzed its structural integrity and pinpointed weaknesses in certain beams, among other problems. The $35,000 study completed by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton was financed by a Community Preservation Act grant awarded last year to the DPW at the behest of the civic association.
“The impetus here is, we were still using the bridge up until last month,” said Susan Carbin, civic association president. “Now everybody is feeling the pinch.”
Carbin said people are longing to use the bridge again, which she said is “absolutely part of Leeds” and historically significant to all of Northampton.
The Stantec study pegged the bridge repairs at $1.5 million, although civic association members believe they will not need to spend near that amount to address safety issues. Carbin pointed out that $650,000 of that estimate is for painting alone, a feature that is not vital to safety.
The group intends to enlist the help of Alan Lutenegger, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and engineers who live in Leeds and want to help with the project, Stevens said.
Lutenegger said Monday that preserving these kinds of structures is an important way to understand a society’s heritage, especially in terms of engineering. While some bridges are preserved for vehicle traffic, he said, it’s just as useful to try to save them for pedestrian use.
“It’s a great learning tool for students at all levels,” he said. “To see where you’re going in the future, you need to look at where you’ve been in the past. That’s certainly true in all types of engineering.”
Historic designation
While various fundraisers have taken place over the last several years in an effort to raise money to fix the bridge, including an annual bike ride, the renewed effort by the civic association will involve a more elaborate strategy.
“The Leeds Civic Association and volunteers want to raise awareness in Leeds and throughout Northampton about the value of this bridge to the city and to the state,” Stevens said.
The civic association, with the support of the Board of Public Works and the City Council, intends to submit an application in the coming months to the Massachusetts Historical Commission seeking to have the bridge certified as an historic structure. That designation will then allow the group to apply for federal grants from the National Register of Historic Places to help pay for the repairs.
Klein said these types of iron truss bridges were only constructed for a short period of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and about half of the bridges constructed have been lost over the last two decades. A renewed push at the federal level to save historic bridges is now underway, she said.
“There is a feeling among preservationists that we are losing key pieces of our history,” Klein said. “Preservation of historical bridges is one of the key goals for the U.S. at the federal level.”
She said the group has no intention of asking the city to use capital money for the project.
The goal is to have the bridge repaired and reopened for foot traffic, Stevens said.
While the fundraising effort is in its early stages, Stevens said in the meantime the civic association is doing what it can to beautify the area. DPW crews removed the Jersey barriers late last week and replaced them with cement planters purchased by the association. Those planters have since been filled with flowers.
In a related project, Huntley said engineering students from Smith College will study the possibility of creating a spur from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to the bridge.
In addition to its historical significance as an engineering and architectural structure, a restored bridge that’s linked to the bike path could have a positive economic impact for Leeds, Stevens believes. She said a community in Simsbury, Connecticut, that restored a similar bridge now rents it out for community events, weddings and more. The bridge is decorated with flower baskets and is a popular walking spot, she said.
“It is something that has really unified a lot of people in Leeds,” Klein said. “Everybody has a story about the bridge. It really is held in the hearts of Leeds.”
Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.
http://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.png00justinhttp://www.leedscivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/LCAlogotrans2.pngjustin2014-09-16 12:23:312015-05-25 12:25:43Leeds group makes push to preserve beloved Hotel Bridge
Expert Iron Bridge Team, Workin’ Bridges, Inspected Hotel Bridge
They climbed on and inspected the top chord, got a good look at the deck. Standing on the ice they could easily touch, measure, and photograph the components underneath. The site visit took place on Sunday, March 8th and there was a meeting with DPW and the LCA the next day. Workin’ Bridges will be sending their restoration recommendations and costs to the city in the next few weeks. Julie Bowers, WB project manager, will be returning to Leeds on June 1 for the Workin’ Bridges Town Hall style public meeting. She will lay out their findings and propose options for restoration. All Leeds residents are invited to come to this event and show support for restoring the oldest Pratt through truss iron bridge in the state….which happens to reside in our village of Leeds!
Little things and little amounts matter. Efforts by the LCA and volunteers over the past 5 years made the Workin’ Bridges site-visit possible. Four bicycle ride fund raisers occurred in the past 5 years, organized by Alice Baedecker and Stephy Cho. Several dozen Leeds hats, Hotel Bridge shirts, greeting cards, and mugs have been sold. All of the proceeds from these ventures were available in the LCA Hotel Bridge account when the time was ripe to have the iron bridge team assess our bridge’s needs. Thank you to everyone who contributed in these efforts or purchased an item. The LCA will continue to offer mugs, shirts and cards for sale to benefit the bridge restoration. Other fund raisers large and small are being planned. To find out how you can get involved please email: leedscivicassoc@gmail.com.
Expert Iron Bridge Team, Workin’ Bridges, Inspected Hotel Bridge
The extreme cold temps that continued month after month this winter turned out to be lucky for Leeds in one regard; the Mill River stayed frozen long enough for the iron bridge restoration team, Workin’ Bridges, to get a close-up look at the Hotel Bridge. When Workin’ Bridges suggested they come to see the bridge while there was still ice, the preparations moved very quickly. The site-visit was coordinated and delivered in the span of 1 week. With the cooperation of the DPW and the City’s chief procurement officer, the LCA was allowed to front the portion of the Workin’ Bridges fee for the site-visit, and Workin’ Bridges was able to get their flights arranged to make the visit happen before temps rose and the ice melted. They climbed on and inspected the top chord, got a good look at the deck. Standing on the ice they could easily touch, measure, and photograph the components underneath. The site visit took place on Sunday, March 8th and there was a meeting with DPW and the LCA the next day. Workin’ Bridges will be sending their restoration recommendations and costs to the city in the next few weeks. Julie Bowers, WB project manager, will be returning to Leeds on June 1 for the Workin’ Bridges Town Hall style public meeting. She will lay out their findings and propose options for restoration. All Leeds residents are invited to come to this event and show support for restoring the oldest Pratt through truss iron bridge in the state…. which happens to reside in our village of Leeds! Little things and little amounts matter. Efforts by the LCA and volunteers over the past 5 years made the Workin’ Bridges site-visit possible. Four bicycle ride fund raisers occurred in the past 5 years, organized by Alice Baedecker and Stephy Cho. Several dozen Leeds hats, Hotel Bridge shirts, greeting cards, and mugs have been sold. All of the proceeds from these ventures were available in the LCA Hotel Bridge account when the time was ripe to have the iron bridge team assess our bridge’s needs. Thank you to everyone who contributed in these efforts or purchased an item. The LCA will continue to offer mugs, shirts and cards for sale to benefit the bridge restoration. Other fund raisers large and small are being planned. To find out how you can get involved please email: leedscivicassoc@gmail.com.
Remaining CPA Funds – New site visit
The Leeds Civic Association has been in discussion with the DPW to bring Workin’ Bridges, the organization that specializes in helping communities bring their bridges back into use.
The original 2011 CPA funds used to hire Stantec Associates to assess the bridge has a balance remaining of $5,292. Rather than use the funds for a public meeting by Stantec about their findings (which are available for free on the Northampton website), the LCA has suggested to the DPW and the Planning Dept that the money be used to hire Workin’ Bridges to do a site visit and an assessment on the Hotel Bridge. Their 2-3 day visit will also include a community town hall style information meeting about the bridge restoration, a meeting with DPW engineers and the LCA. Workin’ Bridges will also provide, within two weeks of their site visit, a Scope of Work proposal which will break down the repair work step by step and give a cost estimate for each repair. Having this information will be helpful when applying for restoration grants and holding fund raisers for specific restoration goals. The available CPA funds almost meets Workin’ Bridges’ fee. The balance will come from the LCA-Hotel bridge fund. Scheduling details for the site visit are in the works.
Phenomenon in Leeds
By “The Neighbor”
So many things have happened in the natural world of Leeds that one can get breathless – bird and animal sightings to the transformation of the Mill River from 7 inches of skateable ice to ice-free in less than 12 hours (Sunday 1/19). But maybe the most interesting occurrence happened back on an early January eve when several neighbors gathered around from 5:45-6:45 to view something called “light pillars.” These optical phenomenons are made in very cold temperatures when falling ice crystals are present in the atmosphere – needing some unusual weather circumstances to occur (too scientific to explain). Anyway, the setting sun and moon can generate these pillars in the sky and artificial lighting can create even greater, taller pillars. This is what the neighbors witnessed on that early January eve. Chartpak’s yellowish parking lot lights shot way, way into the sky as if they were giant stationary spotlights which changed in texture so slowly. Over near the Overlook Nursing Home (now called Highview of Northampton) the columns were white, emanating from the street lights. To look at them it felt like you could have been beamed up to a UFO. In fact, these pillars often generate UFO calls. Niagara Falls is one place in particular where they are regularly seen. While our Mill River dams and falls are no Niagara, it’s sure nice to know that here in Leeds you don’t have to be honeymooners or vacationers to see special things. All you have to do is take advantage of what we have and step out of your door into your very own neighborhood.
Click photo to enlarge
Mill River Ice Jams
[JAN 20, 2015]
I don’t know if anyone has been walking around the river, with the conditions so treacherous over the last two days. Sunday night I went out into my back yard on Main Street and found the entire river flowing across the rear portion of my property. This is the third time this has happened in the 14 years that I’ve lived here, once during Hurricane Irene, and another spring flood, but never in winter.
In the morning I walked up to the bridge to find a huge conglomerate of ice stuck on the Western bank around the Hotel Bridge, and a living room sized ice berg in the middle of the channel effectively directing the majority of flow under the main street bridge causing the flooding, the entire channel extending around the three parcels is completely blocked with ice. Again in my time here this is a first. We are hoping for a gentle warming and spring breakup, with no large rain events, otherwise we may be in trouble.
– Jason Johnson
Pictures showing the arctic landscape and volume of ice, (pretty) and pretty cool, take a look…
Restoring the Hotel Bridge to a Walking Bridge
Leeds Civic Association members have been busy this summer and early fall attending meetings and speaking with city officials about the need to restore the 1880’s bridge to a walking bridge. Ward 7 city councilor, Alisa Klein has been helpful in getting the Hotel Bridge on the agenda at these city committee meetings and the city is in support of a restoration effort.
Since the bridge closed this summer, three newspapers have run articles about the Hotel Bridge. After the Sept. 16th front page Gazette article came out the LCA was contacted by the director of Workin’ Bridges, an Iowa based organization committed to helping communities restore their historic iron bridges. Workin’ Bridges’ engineers are experts in iron and passionate about saving historic bridges. We hope to have the Workin’ Bridges team visit the bridge, assess the scope of work, meet with city officials, and help us layout a step-by-step plan for restoration. In the mean time we will be consulting with UMass civil engineering professor, Sanjay Arwade. An application is being prepared to have the Hotel Bridge placed on the National Register of Historic Places which will then make it eligible for certain grants. A bike ride fund raiser for the Hotel Bridge will take place this coming Spring which will be organized by Alice Baedecker and Stephy Cho. Along with securing grant funding, support from the community is needed. A few fundraising ideas being considered are Hotel Bridge mugs, calendars, cards, shirts, and of course –good old individual contributions which can be made out to: LCA-Hotel Bridge Account and mailed to Florence Savings Bank, 85 Main Street, Florence 01062.
Time for another Leeds Pumpkin Party!
October 25th, 4:30-8:30
We are mixing up a few things, and keeping some things the same. The LCA volunteers who plan this shin-dig kindly request this year that each family carve at least one pumpkin. Carve more if you can, as many as you like to make the pumpkin display the biggest and best ever. We have no specific requests of our beloved seniors, simply that they come and enjoy what the party has to offer. If seniors want to contribute by carving a pumpkin…by all means, go for it! The more the better.
Friday, October 24th, the day before the party there will be tables set up on Chestnut Street just below Upland where individuals and families can carve together. (We really are trying to make this easy for you!!) Bring your pumpkins and if possible, bring your tools.
The biggest change to this years’ party is …No Voting! Instead, there will be three grab bag categories: kid pumpkin, youth pumpkin, and family pumpkin. If you bring at least one pumpkin creation you get a grab bag prize. Who knows what your prize will be, could be something silly, delicious, or even valuable! Individual adult carvers will be eligible for the homemade apple pie raffle.
There will be hot cider and warm homemade soups to taste, and baked potatoes with the all the fixin’s to eat. Please sign up to bring a soup, bread, side dish or dessert by going to the LCA website LeedsCivic.org and clicking on the SignUp Genius link. For those who do not have internet access, you may contact Amy Quinn at 413-586-0283.
The kid’s wild and wonderful pumpkin roll will start at 4:30. There will be a prize for both first and second place. Hot food will be available after the pumpkin roll. The grab bags and apple pie raffle will be over by 8:00-ish. Plenty of time for everyone to get a good nights’ sleep!
With a good attitude, carving a pumpkin can be really fun whether you do it alone or with family or friends. We suggest you make an event out of it. Don’t let the potential of making a mess (or mess up) stop you. The clean up can be made easy too, if you lay down several layers of newspaper on your work surface you can just roll it up when done and throw it away or put it in the compost. Even if you don’t consider yourself creative we know you can do this! Don’t forget to bring something to light up your pumpkin at the party! Drop your pumpkins off at the party site between 3:00 and 5:00. Remember to check in, so you can be part of the grab bag and raffle!
Tips for how to get it done
What you will need
Why you should bring a pumpkin?
Tools and supplies:
Important Oct. 6 events:
Leeds Bike Trail Extension Walking Tour – Oct 6th at 4:30
A walking tour of the MassCentral Rail Trail Extension project which will run along the Mill River from Mulberry Street to South Main Street in Haydenville has been scheduled for October 6th at 4:30 by Wayne Feiden. The walking tour is not a preliminary walk, it is required to be given to the hired engineering firm under the Request For Proposal. Representatives from Pro Terra Design Group will be on the tour and available to hear your input about the plan.
Leeds residents are invited to go along on the walk. Many of you may have responded to the Mill River Greenway Initiative’s Leeds’ survey regarding trail usage and surfacing. Some of you may have attended the public meeting about the trail project at Leeds School back in March. Attending the walk is an additional way for you to share your thoughts and concerns about how the final MassCentral Rail Trail Extension should be designed. The Mill River and the rail trail that currently runs beside it are important and unique features of Leeds. The design of a bike extension should be undertaken with as much input from Leeds residents as possible. Drainage, run off, trail width, surface choice, cost of future maintenance of the trail, who will be responsible for such maintenance, amount of trees to be lost, invasive species overtaking cleared areas are all aspects to be seriously considered and openly addressed before a responsible design can be drawn up. The walk will begin at 4:30 PM. Please meet at the north end of Grove Avenue where the bike path begins.
_______________________________
$190,000 available for Leeds traffic calming
Community Meeting Oct 6th, 7:00, Leeds School
Your comments, traffic observations, and suggestions are needed at this Leeds community meeting. We asked Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Sustainability, to detail the sources of the funds and where they can legally be spent. His explanation follows:
Total funds received: $199,690 from Chestnut Extension ($47,500) 64 Reservoir Road ($4,000), Zoe Life Care ($152,350)
Funds spent: DPW legal ad ($160), DPW mitigation already made (we do NOT have a final accounting but for planning purposes assume $10,000.)
How can the dollars be spent and where?
1. Any improvement that reduces traffic on Main Street, Florence Street, Leonard, and Front Street because that would offset increasing traffic from Zoe Life Care and Chestnut Extension. This could include rail trail on ramps at the northerly Look Park entrance and at Main Street in Leeds center. It could also include Hotel Bridge just for the $4,000 from 64 Reservoir Road.
2. Any improvements that make roads safer in the area that we expect the traffic impacts from these projects, whether it be traffic calming or sidewalks or intersection safety improvements. For the Zoe Life Care funds that is Main, Florence, Leonard, and Front Streets and possibly East Center Street. For Chestnut Extension it could also include any of the streets north of Florence Street and east of Route 9. For the small amount from Reservoir Road it could include improvements on Reservoir Road.
3. ALL costs have to be durable capital costs. Crosswalk signs, for example, of the type we put in the middle of intersections are NOT durable and disappear and are not capital costs. All hard surface bricks and mortar projects are fine. Crosswalk and pavement markings are OK ONLY if the marking starts a process that DPW agrees to maintain but not if its a one time application that will disappear in two years.
Please take time to think about the options Wayne has laid out and bring your thoughts and ideas to the meeting.
BRIDGE SAVIORS
From The Daily Hampshire Gazette article September 16, 2014
Leeds group makes push to preserve beloved Hotel Bridge
By Chad Cain
Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
He remembers lingering on the bridge during those walks like it was yesterday.
“In the summer time, it was always a pleasure to cross the iron bridge, stopping and admiring the scenery,” Dunning said by email from his home in Florida. “Strange. I’m now 81 and it was like yesterday that I can remember walking over the bridge. It holds great memories, as the entire village of Leeds does.”
So when Dunning heard about a fledgling effort spearheaded by the Leeds Civic Association to save the dilapidated bridge spanning the Mill River between Water and Main streets, he fired off an email offering to donate to the project.
He’s not the only one waxing nostalgic, said Heidi Stevens, the association’s vice president. “We’ve been getting emails like this from a lot of people sharing their memories about the bridge,” she said.
“It really is a beloved bridge here in Leeds,” Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein said. “It has this incredible history.”
The single-lane iron truss bridge, constructed in 1880, was named after the Leeds Hotel, which was built next to it in 1885 to accommodate the village’s growing population. The historic structure is also known as Old Shepherd Road Bridge.
Over the years, the bridge became a key passage over the Mill River, first for stagecoaches and later for vehicles that served the manufacturing hub. And in more recent times, the bridge has been a popular pedestrian and bicycle way for people wanting to visit the Roberts Hill Conservation Area, Musante Beach, and the post office, among other sites.
In addition to being the oldest bridge in Northampton, the Hotel Bridge is the sixth-oldest iron bridge in the state.
“The bridge represents the heart of our community,” said Jason Johnson, chairman of the Leeds chapter of the Mill River Greenway Initiative. “The bridge is really this vital artery of transportation for a lot of members of the town.”
Fenced off
The Mill River Greenway is backing efforts to preserve the bridge as part of its overall mission to design a greenway that connects people to the river.
The bridge has been closed to vehicles since 2004 when the city installed Jersey barriers on each end. Pedestrians and bicyclists continued to cross the bridge over the last decade, despite signs warning against it. That changed about a month ago when the Department of Public Works installed a chain-link fence on both sides of the bridge to keep people off it for good.
DPW Director Edward S. Huntley said the corrugated metal decking of the deck has missing pieces and there are holes in the pavement. “Basically, someone could get really hurt up there,” he said. “You can see the water through the bridge.”
The decision to fence off the bridge was made because of findings of a recently completed engineering study that analyzed its structural integrity and pinpointed weaknesses in certain beams, among other problems. The $35,000 study completed by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton was financed by a Community Preservation Act grant awarded last year to the DPW at the behest of the civic association.
“The impetus here is, we were still using the bridge up until last month,” said Susan Carbin, civic association president. “Now everybody is feeling the pinch.”
Carbin said people are longing to use the bridge again, which she said is “absolutely part of Leeds” and historically significant to all of Northampton.
The Stantec study pegged the bridge repairs at $1.5 million, although civic association members believe they will not need to spend near that amount to address safety issues. Carbin pointed out that $650,000 of that estimate is for painting alone, a feature that is not vital to safety.
The group intends to enlist the help of Alan Lutenegger, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and engineers who live in Leeds and want to help with the project, Stevens said.
Lutenegger said Monday that preserving these kinds of structures is an important way to understand a society’s heritage, especially in terms of engineering. While some bridges are preserved for vehicle traffic, he said, it’s just as useful to try to save them for pedestrian use.
“It’s a great learning tool for students at all levels,” he said. “To see where you’re going in the future, you need to look at where you’ve been in the past. That’s certainly true in all types of engineering.”
Historic designation
While various fundraisers have taken place over the last several years in an effort to raise money to fix the bridge, including an annual bike ride, the renewed effort by the civic association will involve a more elaborate strategy.
“The Leeds Civic Association and volunteers want to raise awareness in Leeds and throughout Northampton about the value of this bridge to the city and to the state,” Stevens said.
The civic association, with the support of the Board of Public Works and the City Council, intends to submit an application in the coming months to the Massachusetts Historical Commission seeking to have the bridge certified as an historic structure. That designation will then allow the group to apply for federal grants from the National Register of Historic Places to help pay for the repairs.
Klein said these types of iron truss bridges were only constructed for a short period of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and about half of the bridges constructed have been lost over the last two decades. A renewed push at the federal level to save historic bridges is now underway, she said.
“There is a feeling among preservationists that we are losing key pieces of our history,” Klein said. “Preservation of historical bridges is one of the key goals for the U.S. at the federal level.”
She said the group has no intention of asking the city to use capital money for the project.
The goal is to have the bridge repaired and reopened for foot traffic, Stevens said.
While the fundraising effort is in its early stages, Stevens said in the meantime the civic association is doing what it can to beautify the area. DPW crews removed the Jersey barriers late last week and replaced them with cement planters purchased by the association. Those planters have since been filled with flowers.
In a related project, Huntley said engineering students from Smith College will study the possibility of creating a spur from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to the bridge.
In addition to its historical significance as an engineering and architectural structure, a restored bridge that’s linked to the bike path could have a positive economic impact for Leeds, Stevens believes. She said a community in Simsbury, Connecticut, that restored a similar bridge now rents it out for community events, weddings and more. The bridge is decorated with flower baskets and is a popular walking spot, she said.
“It is something that has really unified a lot of people in Leeds,” Klein said. “Everybody has a story about the bridge. It really is held in the hearts of Leeds.”
Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.
Leeds group makes push to preserve beloved Hotel Bridge
From The Daily Hampshire Gazette article September 16, 2014
By Chad Cain
Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
He remembers lingering on the bridge during those walks like it was yesterday.
“In the summer time, it was always a pleasure to cross the iron bridge, stopping and admiring the scenery,” Dunning said by email from his home in Florida. “Strange. I’m now 81 and it was like yesterday that I can remember walking over the bridge. It holds great memories, as the entire village of Leeds does.”
So when Dunning heard about a fledgling effort spearheaded by the Leeds Civic Association to save the dilapidated bridge spanning the Mill River between Water and Main streets, he fired off an email offering to donate to the project.
He’s not the only one waxing nostalgic, said Heidi Stevens, the association’s vice president. “We’ve been getting emails like this from a lot of people sharing their memories about the bridge,” she said.
“It really is a beloved bridge here in Leeds,” Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein said. “It has this incredible history.”
The single-lane iron truss bridge, constructed in 1880, was named after the Leeds Hotel, which was built next to it in 1885 to accommodate the village’s growing population. The historic structure is also known as Old Shepherd Road Bridge.
Over the years, the bridge became a key passage over the Mill River, first for stagecoaches and later for vehicles that served the manufacturing hub. And in more recent times, the bridge has been a popular pedestrian and bicycle way for people wanting to visit the Roberts Hill Conservation Area, Musante Beach, and the post office, among other sites.
In addition to being the oldest bridge in Northampton, the Hotel Bridge is the sixth-oldest iron bridge in the state.
“The bridge represents the heart of our community,” said Jason Johnson, chairman of the Leeds chapter of the Mill River Greenway Initiative. “The bridge is really this vital artery of transportation for a lot of members of the town.”
Fenced off
The Mill River Greenway is backing efforts to preserve the bridge as part of its overall mission to design a greenway that connects people to the river.
The bridge has been closed to vehicles since 2004 when the city installed Jersey barriers on each end. Pedestrians and bicyclists continued to cross the bridge over the last decade, despite signs warning against it. That changed about a month ago when the Department of Public Works installed a chain-link fence on both sides of the bridge to keep people off it for good.
DPW Director Edward S. Huntley said the corrugated metal decking of the deck has missing pieces and there are holes in the pavement. “Basically, someone could get really hurt up there,” he said. “You can see the water through the bridge.”
The decision to fence off the bridge was made because of findings of a recently completed engineering study that analyzed its structural integrity and pinpointed weaknesses in certain beams, among other problems. The $35,000 study completed by Stantec Consulting Service Inc. of Northampton was financed by a Community Preservation Act grant awarded last year to the DPW at the behest of the civic association.
“The impetus here is, we were still using the bridge up until last month,” said Susan Carbin, civic association president. “Now everybody is feeling the pinch.”
Carbin said people are longing to use the bridge again, which she said is “absolutely part of Leeds” and historically significant to all of Northampton.
The Stantec study pegged the bridge repairs at $1.5 million, although civic association members believe they will not need to spend near that amount to address safety issues. Carbin pointed out that $650,000 of that estimate is for painting alone, a feature that is not vital to safety.
The group intends to enlist the help of Alan Lutenegger, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and engineers who live in Leeds and want to help with the project, Stevens said.
Lutenegger said Monday that preserving these kinds of structures is an important way to understand a society’s heritage, especially in terms of engineering. While some bridges are preserved for vehicle traffic, he said, it’s just as useful to try to save them for pedestrian use.
“It’s a great learning tool for students at all levels,” he said. “To see where you’re going in the future, you need to look at where you’ve been in the past. That’s certainly true in all types of engineering.”
Historic designation
While various fundraisers have taken place over the last several years in an effort to raise money to fix the bridge, including an annual bike ride, the renewed effort by the civic association will involve a more elaborate strategy.
“The Leeds Civic Association and volunteers want to raise awareness in Leeds and throughout Northampton about the value of this bridge to the city and to the state,” Stevens said.
The civic association, with the support of the Board of Public Works and the City Council, intends to submit an application in the coming months to the Massachusetts Historical Commission seeking to have the bridge certified as an historic structure. That designation will then allow the group to apply for federal grants from the National Register of Historic Places to help pay for the repairs.
Klein said these types of iron truss bridges were only constructed for a short period of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and about half of the bridges constructed have been lost over the last two decades. A renewed push at the federal level to save historic bridges is now underway, she said.
“There is a feeling among preservationists that we are losing key pieces of our history,” Klein said. “Preservation of historical bridges is one of the key goals for the U.S. at the federal level.”
She said the group has no intention of asking the city to use capital money for the project.
The goal is to have the bridge repaired and reopened for foot traffic, Stevens said.
While the fundraising effort is in its early stages, Stevens said in the meantime the civic association is doing what it can to beautify the area. DPW crews removed the Jersey barriers late last week and replaced them with cement planters purchased by the association. Those planters have since been filled with flowers.
In a related project, Huntley said engineering students from Smith College will study the possibility of creating a spur from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to the bridge.
In addition to its historical significance as an engineering and architectural structure, a restored bridge that’s linked to the bike path could have a positive economic impact for Leeds, Stevens believes. She said a community in Simsbury, Connecticut, that restored a similar bridge now rents it out for community events, weddings and more. The bridge is decorated with flower baskets and is a popular walking spot, she said.
“It is something that has really unified a lot of people in Leeds,” Klein said. “Everybody has a story about the bridge. It really is held in the hearts of Leeds.”
Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.