A crowd of at least 75 people turned out Sunday noon at Brookfield’s Hippo Park to support local efforts to get the state of Vermont to repair the Floating Bridge.

All three of the area legislators were on hand. State Sen. Mark McDonald and State Reps. Patsy French and Larry Townsend promised that they would push hard in the legislature, with efforts centered around a bill that French and Townsend sponsored last year, requiring the bridge to be put on the list of projects for the Transportation Department.

Speakers Sunday included Kit Gage, Town Clerk Jane Woodruff, engineer Greg Wight, and Selectboard Chair Jon Benson. A petition circulated by Woodruff was signed during the day by more than 200 people, she said. The names included residents from several area towns—proving, she said, that this is not just a Brookfield issue.

The historic bridge—a tourist attraction as well as a state highway—has been closed to vehicular traffic for four years, as it was deemed to be unsafe. The flotation devices have apparently taken on water and the bridge is floating lower and lower.

Area residents are growing frustrated over the delay in preparing plans to repair it. In fact, there is a strong suspicion that the state just doesn’t want to fix it, period.

In the meantime the travel surface of the bridge has become covered with mold and is unsightly and dangerously slippery. It was, that is, until a clean-up effort was begun by Sen. McDonald, who has cleaned up about half of the bridge.

Plans Incomplete

Benson told the gathering Sunday that conversations with VTrans have indicated that the department is putting together a plan of attack, but that the design for flotation is still uncertain. The state is consulting with an out-of-state firm that specializes in flotation.

Sen. McDonald, however, warned that the foot-dragging on the design process is probably by design. It’s a bureaucratic way of ensuring that the repair job is put off as long as possible, he said.

Woodruff and others exhorted the crowd to write emails and letters to the governor, lieutenant governor, and legislative leaders—but not all at once and “not negative.”

“You all have groups you belong to,” she told the crowd. “Talk to each other.”

She pronounced herself “very pleased” with the turnout.

“Everybody’s on board with getting it (bridge repair) done. It’s got a lot of history.”

Dispute over Cost

The main drawback, of course, is cost. Despite estimates by Wight and another engineer that a fix could be had for under $250,000, state engineers have estimated it at $2 million.

The state, Benson explained, is looking at a 50-year repair job that will also leave the structure easier to service. In addition, the walkways on either side of the traveled portion would have to be wider to conform to nation guidelines, he pointed out.

Rep. French noted that the bridge repair project has recently made it to the top of the priorities list of transportation projectcs recommended by the Two Rivers Regional Planning Board. That should help put it on the official state list, she said.