Springtown opens new bridge after years of hopeful waiting

— After years of waiting, Springtown finally has a bridge over Flint Creek which should be passable during high water. The new bridge, made possible by money received through a federal grant, was opened Feb. 22 at a 1 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony.

With Springtown Mayor Paul Lemke and council members Chuck Guess, Amanda Richardson and Lisa Lawrence standing on the bridge, former council member Don Early, with his wife Jolynn, cut the ribbon and opened the bridge he had worked so hard to get built in Springtown.The Earleys were the first to pass over the bridge in their car, but others followed.

The bridge replaces a low-water crossing on Aubrey Long Road which was broken down and regularly became impassable during high water. A second low-water bridge crossesthe creek on the west side of the city.

The new bridge, engineered by Don Johnston and built by Western Millwright, Inc., of Russellville, was built with 2008 federal disaster funds, according to Jay Stallard, grant administrator from Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, who assisted the city in obtaining and administering the $259,000 grant.

“We used all but about $20,000 of the grant, which will be turned back,” said Stallard.

Stallard said the bridge was engineered to serve the community for many years to come, saying Johnston did a great job, for very little pay, in designing the bridge to weather the high water and serve the town’s needs well into the future.

Gentry Fire Chief Vester Cripps, who was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony last week, said the new bridge would make it possible for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles to cross the creek duringrainy weather without going miles out of the way to access city and county residents on the north side of Flint Creek.

Lemke, who lives on the north side of Flint Creek and has a business on the south side, said he had been working almost 30 years toget a bridge like this for the area residents and he voiced his pleasure in finally seeing the much-needed bridge become a reality for theSpringtown community.

The old Aubrey Long bridge will be removed over the next few weeks, Lemke said.

News, Pages 2 on 02/29/2012