The Blaine County Recreation District has created a funding mechanism to put a new Murphy Bridge in place on the Harriman Trail by next fall.
The current log bridge, which spans the Big Wood River five kilometers north of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters, is narrow and cannot support the grooming machine that lays down cross-country skiing tracks. The result is a bottleneck for skiers and a costly and somewhat dangerous detour by the groomer onto Highway 75.
The district first proposed replacing the bridge in 1998, but has been unable to find a source of funds. A plan to use an old bridge on Warm Springs Road was scrapped about five years ago when it became clear that moving that bridge would cost more than building a new one.
The district estimates that replacement of the bridge will cost about $400,000. In 2004, it received a donation of $200,000 toward the project from an anonymous foundation. About the same time, it received an offer from Ohio-based Continental Bridge company to replace the bridge at cost. In an interview, district Executive Director Wally Morgus said one of the company's owners has a vacation home in the Wood River Valley and is "a big fan" of the North Valley Trails and Galena Lodge.
During a meeting Wednesday, Dec. 13, the district's board of directors voted unanimously to fund the remaining half of the project through a loan from its Harriman Trail fund to its North Valley Trails fund. The 7.5 percent loan is expected to be repaid in 10 years using ski pass sales and donations.
"Financially it makes sense," board President Tim Hamilton said.
Galena Advisory Committee member Steve Haims told the board that the groomer, which costs $175 an hour to operate, must make a 45-minute to one-hour detour around the bridge each of the approximately 100 days that it is in use during the winter.
In an interview, Hamilton said the district is not legally obligated to loan money from one of its funds to another, and could simply spend $200,000 from the Harriman Trail fund, but wants to replenish that fund for future expenses.
In a written proposal to the board, the district's staff stated that it will continue to seek third-party funding for the project. Those sources could include a grant from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, more money from the original donor and a fundraising campaign.
The new bridge will be 16 feet wide, the same width as a groomed ski trail.
In other business, the board:
- Heard from Dave Keir, director of partnerships and outreach, that he will seek bids from manufacturers for a glass-and-aluminum cover for the aquatic center pool. Both staff members and the board agreed that covering the existing pool, including the wading pool, is the route most favored by the public to convert the center for winter use. Keir said a cover would probably cost between $500,000 and $1 million.
The board agreed that a partner, presumably the city of Hailey, would be needed to help fund the project. The city has not formally expressed interest in such a partnership, but Councilwoman Martha Burke listed a covered municipal pool as a priority during a city goal-setting session Dec. 4.
-Heard from Morgus that he is seeking donors to fund a new septic system at Galena Lodge. In an interview, lodge co-operator Erin Zell said the current system is too small for the amount of use it gets.
"It's an infrastructure thing that we have to do," Haims told the board. "It could shut us down if we don't."
