Trailnet addresses Madison City Council
Concerns remain over Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
Trailnet officials had told Hamm earlier that it didn't have enough money to pay the Police Department to open and close the bridge. He said it had threatened to close the bridge except on special occasions.
Hamm emphasized that the bridge is important to Madison because travelers from all over the world use it when in the St. Louis region.At this time, Trailnet opens the bridge in the morning and Madison police close it in the evening. The money for closing comes out of Madison's coffers.
On Tuesday, Trailnet Executive Director Ann Mack addressed the City Council with further concerns about the bridge related to a revenue shortfall that the organization has experienced.
In an interview later, she that the shortfall occurred after funding from Great Rivers Greenway, a publicly funded park district which services St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, dried up.
Mack said Trailnet receives less than 12 percent of its funding from public sources and that the organization has received money from federal earmarks in the past. She said that Trailnet had put millions of dollars into renovation of the bridge and that she would be talking with local shareholders about the importance of keeping the bridge open within four to six weeks.
Hamm said after Tuesday's meeting that it's also important that the bridge stay open because some of the matching grants the city received from Madison County and Metro East Park District stated that the bridge would be open on a regular basis. He also said the city used the grant money for parking lots on the Illinois side of the bridge.
Trailnet is a St. Louis based non-profit organization that leases the bridge from the city and also provides operations and improvements. According to its Web site, Trailnet promotes a healthy environment through bike rides and recreational events, environmentally-friendly transportation alternatives, providing community, bicycle and pedestrian planning services to help cities design streets where people can safely walk and bike. It also collaborates on the St. Louis Regional Trail System and advocates policies which support healthy lifestyles.
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was constructed in 1929 as a toll bridge, according to Trailnet's Web site. The city of Madison purchased the bridge in 1939. The bridge closed in 1968 after the nearby Interstate 270 Chain of Rocks Bridge opened, causing a decline in revenue for the old bridge.
Demolition was planned in 1975, but a steep drop in the value of scrap steel rendered it unprofitable to tear down. Trailnet became involved in the project in 1997 when it initiated a project to reopen the bridge as one of the world's largest bicycle and pedestrian bridges.
According to its Web site, Green Rivers Greenway District spearheaded the development of The River Ring, an interconnected system of greenways, parks and trails around the St. Louis Region. Great Rivers Greenway spokeswoman Robyn Franel confirmed that the funding was cut off. She said that the end of the funding, in December, was scheduled and was not a surprise.
