LAKE PLEASANT — It appears repairing the Bridge of Names is going to be a grassroots community effort rather than a municipal budget item.
The town of Montague has found that it almost definitely does not own the bridge, and therefore can’t cover the needed repairs through its insurance policies. Instead, the Lake Pleasant Village Association has started a GoFundMe page to raise money, with a goal of $50,000.
The Bridge of Names was damaged in a short and intense storm on the afternoon of Oct. 7. A tree trunk that snapped in the wind fell onto the west end of the bridge, crushing the pavilion, the deck of the bridge and parts of the undergirding support structure. The bridge is now unusable, and will be out of service until it can be repaired.
The land the bridge is on is owned by the Turners Falls Fire and Water District, leading to the belief that repairs could be funded through the district’s insurance policy.
However, ownership of the bridge itself is not clear. Turners Falls Water Superintendent Michael Brown said the bridge is most likely owned by the Lake Pleasant Village Association, although no one has found documents to support this claim.
The Bridge of Names is definitely not covered by the Fire and Water District’s insurance policies, based on exchanges last week with the district’s insurance provider, Brown said.
“It doesn’t surprise me. I never thought the bridge was ours,” Brown said. “It’s unfortunate, but it is not going to be covered by insurance.”
The Lake Pleasant Village Association began raising money earlier this week. A timetable for repairs has not been set, and the $50,000 fundraising goal is tentative, as the damage to the bridge has not been professionally assessed yet, said the association’s President Matt Atwood.
“We are anxious to get started, but we can’t do anything yet,” he said.
In Lake Pleasant, support is strong for rebuilding the bridge, Atwood said. The bridge physically connects the east and west sides of the village, notably making the Lake Pleasant Post Office easily accessible for all residents.
The bridge is also a symbolic icon of the community. Its construction in 1974 was the first major act of the Lake Pleasant Village Association, Atwood said. Over the years, the association raised money to maintain the bridge through donations. Each donor gets their name inscribed in a fence post along the length of the bridge, making the bridge uniquely characteristic of the community.
“There’s a lot of identity within the village around that bridge,” Atwood said. “It unites us, both literally and metaphorically.”
Although the bridge is almost definitely not owned by the town, town officials have suggested they may be able to lend support in finding funding for the repairs through grants, Atwood said.
Direct support probably isn’t feasible, however.
“For us to spend taxpayer money on something that isn’t owned by the district would be very difficult,” Brown said. “I would love to help as the Water Department, but legally… ”
Donations are being collected by the Lake Pleasant Village Association through a GoFundMe page at bit.ly/3jj8IGi. As of Wednesday afternoon, 21 donors had contributed $1,865.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.