Vermont’s covered bridges are few and far between and need to be coveted, cosseted, repaired and protected because of their historic value, because of their scenic value and because they do offer us a way to get across the rivers.
In Waitsfield, the covered bridge is in need of repair. Specifically the footbridge on the downstream side of the bridge needs to be decoupled from the car bridge because it is twisting the bridge. The town applied for and received federal funds to repair the bridge but had to jump through some hoops to come up with a repair plan that met federal and state standards.
The select board worked its way through a morass of federal rules to ascertain that it is not possible to try and replace the existing footbridge with something historically authentic, because to seek to recreate history is to detract from the actual historic structure – or some such federal gobblety-gook.
The town’s choices were limited by the red tape and the select board chose the best structural and financial option that did not detract from the scenic value of the bridge and that still addressed the structural problems caused by the existing footbridge.
Because the bridge is worth that much effort and worth that much deliberation.
And if it is worth that much effort, surely it deserves a similar amount of respect from those who “use” it. A reader of The Valley Reporter sent a picture last week of debris left on the porch of a business at the west end of the bridge, taking swimmers to task for their lack of courtesy.
The select board this week affirmed its intent to prevent swimmers from climbing onto the roof of the bridge and jumping off into the Mad River. The town had signs placed on the bridge notifying swimmers of the policy. Those signs were removed within two hours and the town employee who posted them was subject to a ration of flack from a swimmer over the policy.
That same employee encountered a swimmer carving his initials or something into the bridge’s timbers. Is this any way to treat a historic local icon? Carve it up with a pocketknife?
The bridge, town employees and adjacent business porches deserve better than this from local swimmers.
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