LAKE PLEASANT — Despite a shared desire to repair the damaged Bridge of Names, the town of Montague is likely limited in its ability to provide assistance, and is skeptical of its ability to funnel grant money to the project.
The only sure source of funding at this point will be from donations to the Lake Pleasant Village Association, a residents’ group that is apparently the only entity with any legal responsibility over the Bridge of Names.
Money is also being raised through bridge-related craft sales, on a Facebook page called “Bridge of Names Crafts” that opened earlier this week.
The Bridge of Names was damaged in a windstorm on Oct. 7, when falling tree trunks destroyed much of the west end of the bridge, crushing the pavilion and tearing through the deck of the bridge and part of the undergirding support structure.
The problem is, no one is sure who owns the Bridge of Names. The land underneath it is owned by the Turners Falls Fire and Water District, but Water Superintendent Michael Brown has said that the bridge itself is definitely not owned by the district, and is not covered by the district’s insurance policies. Montague Town Administrator Steve Ellis said the Planning and Conservation Department had not been able to find any records of the bridge’s ownership.
“It seems to be as mysterious as it is beautiful, symbolic and functional,” Ellis said.
Responsibility of the bridge, if not legal ownership, is most likely the Lake Pleasant Village Association’s, according to association President Matt Atwood. The association was responsible for building the bridge, in 1975, and over the years has raised money to maintain it, and has also sold space on fence posts where donors can have their names inscribed, giving the bridge its name.
Now, the Lake Pleasant Village Association is raising money online through a GoFundMe page (bit.ly/2U1lQW8). As of Friday afternoon, 65 donors had contributed $5,755.
A fundraising goal has been set at $50,000, but Atwood noted that this is a tentative number, as professional assessments of the damage have not finished yet.
“Bridge of Names Crafts” is connected to the Lake Pleasant Village Association, according to the Facebook page. The crafts for sale include ornaments made out of pieces from the broken bridge and Lake Pleasant-themed face masks, ranging in price from $3 to $10.
The Montague Selectboard expressed interest in supporting the repair of the bridge, but noted that town involvement could be legally difficult, considering that the bridge is not owned by the town.
“It’s a very tricky situation with multiple parties, of which the town is of course a direct party,” said Selectboard member Michael Nelson.
If the town were to involve itself, the two apparent options would be to directly fund the project as if it were a municipal capital project, or to seek grant money that could be funneled through the town to the Lake Pleasant Village Association.
The possibility of either option is still being investigated, but both seem unlikely, Ellis said. It isn’t even clear yet that the project would be eligible for the major grant programs that the town most often relies on, because it isn’t owned by the town, he said.
The other problem is, if the town were to become involved, it would probably make the project subject to whatever legal regulations apply to municipal capital projects — potentially ballooning the cost. This has not been thoroughly investigated, but was mentioned by both Ellis and Selectboard Chair Rich Kuklewicz as a likely problem.
“Would a small contribution in that context be more detrimental than positive?” Ellis said. “We don’t know the answers to that question.”
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.