An iron bridge over Owl Creek two miles west of Humboldt is 103 years old and may live on, even though it will be replaced this summer.
Allen County commissioners gave salvage rights to Thrive Allen County, which wants to move it to become part of a proposed adjunct to the Southwind Trail.
David Toland, Thrive executive director, said a moving company would be available the middle of June to move the 60,000-pound, 60-foot span.
Maybe earlier if the moving company has a job canceled, he said.
Time is of the essence.
Bill King, director of Public Works, said bids would be opened on June 1 for the bridge’s replacement and then it would be up to the contractor how quickly the bridge would need to be moved. That prompted commissioners to have Toland deal directly with the contractor.
“Fair enough,” said Toland. “We’re just asking for the opportunity but understand if the contractor has to go forward and move the bridge,” Thrive will be left out of the loop.
Commissioner Dick Works, with knowledge of a good many previous such projects, said he thought “the odds are pretty good” that moving the bridge in mid-June would work.
“We’re just asking for a shot,” Toland added, noting that the trail adjunct would be announced in full detail in a week or two after easements are finalized.
The bridge would be part of a project that “would be open to the public,” he said. “It would be a public asset.”
As for the existing trail between Iola and Humboldt, Toland observed that 4,000 bicyclists used the trail in July-December 2013 by a Kansas Department of Transportation counter along the trail.
“We’re sure there have been more walkers and hikers during the same time,” he said.
The trail, together with the Prairie Spirit Trail that extends from Iola to Ottawa, “is bringing a lot of people to the county,” Toland said.
A recent 100-mile race on the longer trail had participants and supporters packing local restaurants, he noted.
Turning to economic development, Toland said five sites in Allen County had been identified for a fulfillment center for UPS. The center, which will be housed in a 15,000-square-foot building, will have 35 employees at the start. It will be the last stop for packages before home delivery by UPS.
Word on site selection should come in six to 12 months, with other communities in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri also vying for the business.
