Tuesday is 'do-or-die-day' for Creemore bridge
Tuesday is do-or-die day, according to Clearview Township Deputy Mayor Barry Burton.
That is the day a four-year battle to save the Collingwood Street Bridge comes to a head.
“If we die, the bridge will be gone this summer,” said Burton.
On Tuesday, Burton and Mayor Chris Vanderkruys will sit as part of county council and will attempt to forge a deal that will see Clearview Township take ownership of the 102-year-old steel Collingwood Street Bridge and secure enough funds to pay for its restoration.
“I am not very optimistic,” said Burton. “I am going into a poker game and I am not holding the cards I need to be holding and I don’t mind saying that. I have to convince the county to give me $1.5 million and they are offering somewhere between $700,000 and $900,000.”
On April 13, Burton received the blessing of Clearview Township council to proceed with a bid for the bridge, which is slated to be replaced with a two-lane concrete bridge this summer, if the county will transfer $1.5 million of the money set aside to pay for the replacement to the township.
The majority of Clearview councillors agreed to accept ownership of the bridge, as long as the money was there.
On April 20, Clearview councillors gave Burton a little wiggle room by agreeing that Burton and Vanderkruys, along with CAO Steve Sage, “be authorized to negotiate with county staff and county council to bring proposals from Simcoe County regarding the Collingwood Street Bridge back to Clearview council for consideration.”
There is an urgency in getting a deal worked out with the county since the bridge replacement was moved forward one year to this summer and the tender has already closed.
Proponents of bridge preservation say the steel bridge adds character to the village of Creemore and acts as a tourist attraction. They also say that based on quotes from local experts, restoring the one-lane bridge will save taxpayers $1 million, given that the county has budgeted $2.5 million to replace the bridge.
“County staff’s recommendation has always been to replace the bridge,” said Burton.
