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Regular Meeting, November 9, 2005  Bonnie Money, structural engineer for BLM Engineering, spoke to the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday about the feasibility of converting the old steel bridge at Baxter into a memorial park.Built by Vincennes Bridge Co. of Indiana in 1926, the bridge was built to support the weight of two 15 ton coal trucks and was for a long time the only way across the Cumberland River into Harlan. Chamber member and Mountain Heritage Hospice Community Resource Coordinator Jeremey Clem proposed the idea to the chamber at an earlier meeting to turn the aging bridge into a memorial. He contacted Money to examine the structural integrtity of the bridge. Money said that after a brief inspection of the bridge, she could identify several sub-structure supports in need of replacement or repair due to damage caused by acidic coal residue. The concrete deck of the bridge would also need to be replaced, and the painted surface would have to be sealed before it could be re-painted. She estimated that the project may cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars. She proposed that a state transportation enhancement grant could be applied for that would pay for 80% of the project. Chamber President Roger Fannin proposed that a committe be formed including members of various civic organizations and interests to move forward on the idea. "The more community involvement we have the better chance this project has of succeeding," said Money. By Brandon Goins    
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