Sutliff Bridge talks continue

If Sutliff Bridge is rebuilt, it likely will take a group effort to maintain it.

County officials and bridge supporters met last night to discuss what will happen if the flood-damaged bridge is repaired.

Those details remain to be worked out, but the discussion last night centered around establishing an agreement between the county's Board of Supervisors, the county Conservation Board and the non-profit Sutliff Bridge Authority.

The supervisors want the Conservation Board to assume oversight of the bridge, if it's rebuilt. That's a job that previously fell to the resident-led Sutliff Bridge Authority, but after the 2008 flood washed away part of the century-old structure over the Cedar River, the county took control of it so it would be eligible for federal funding.

The bridge authority has promised to stay involved in the bridge's preservation, including by donating money for its maintenance.

Last night there was talk of setting up a trust fund with the Community Foundation of Johnson County for that purpose. The authority has brought in about $53,000 through fundraisers in the past six years.

No decisions were made, but there seemed to be a general feeling that an agreement among the three groups could be reached.

“I'm not hearing anything tonight that says ... ‘Oh, my God,'” Supervisor Terrence Neuzil said.

The bigger question remains what will happen to the bridge. That falls to the supervisors, and a decision could come in a few weeks.

The county can take federal funds and repair the bridge, or take most of that money and spend it on another project. In that case, what's left of the bridge would have to be removed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay to replace the bridge, estimated at $1.7 million, plus another $440,000 or so to bring it up to code.