TILTON — Residents expressed overwhelming support for saving a one-of-a-kind bridge connecting Main Street to Tilton Island Park during a public hearing on October 20, but they made it clear that they did not want taxpayers to bear the cost.
The patented Truesdell truss bridge, built of both cast iron and wrought iron, is purported to be the only one in existence in the United States, and Scott Ruggles, chair of the Tilton Board of Selectmen, said it may be the only one of its kind in the world.
A structural analysis concluded that the bridge was unsafe and the town closed it off last spring. Before proceeding with repairs or replacement, the selectmen held the public hearing to give residents a chance to say whether it was worth saving.
Jerry Baldwin, vice-chair of the Tilton Historical Society, said the organization is “very for saving this bridge.”
“One of a kind? Gotta have it,” he said.
The bridge, named to the New Hampshire Preservation Society’s “Seven To Save” list in 2021, was commissioned by Charles E. Tilton, and was erected in 1881. It was built by A.D. Briggs and Company and John R. Smith Builders, based on a design by the Truesdale Company of Springfield, Massachusetts.
“After 141 years of use, the bridge is failing in multiple areas, making it unsafe for use,” Ruggles told the audience.
The town engaged Hunter Research, Inc., to prepare a preservation plan, funded by the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. The report recommended moving the bridge off-site to repair the damage and putting it back in place when the work was done. Ruggles explained that, because it is cast iron and wrought iron, attempting to weld the bridge would make it even less safe.
“Some work can be done locally; some pieces will likely have to be shipped on to a specialty company for repair,” he said.
A rough estimate of the cost of the repairs ranges from $800,000 to $1.2 million.
“The town would actively seek grants and fundraising to cover costs, but there likely will be some cost to the community,” Ruggles said.
Selectman Joe Jesseman said the town is more likely to obtain grants for repairing the bridge than it would get for building a new bridge.
Describing himself as a “history nerd,” Ruggles said, “I just think it’s just a fantastic piece of history that we have, and to be able to take care of it, to put it back to where it should be, and hopefully have it last another 100 years, would be great, because we’re losing so much history around us. To lose something like that that has been acknowledged as a treasure would be hard to see happen.”
Tax Concerns
Kathleen Mitchell observed that most grants require matching funds and that the costs mentioned were only estimates.
“Before we jump on the bandwagon, I’d like to see some solid numbers,” she said. “I’d like to see a plan in place.”
Chuck Mitchell observed that the bridge has been closed for a year and would likely be closed for two more years before the work is completed.
“Look what’s happened to the economy,” he said. “Your number on the high end of $1.2 million could very well be $2 million. Everything is going up. … I don’t support spending $2 million on that bridge right now. I personally don’t, as a taxpayer in this community.”
Other concerns were the state Department of Transportation’s plans to work on Route 3, and the possibility of a dam on Silver Lake, both of which residents said could change the flow of the river cause erosion of the island.
Ruggles noted that the granite blocks around the island were in place before 1965 and, therefore, the state Department of Environmental Services places fewer restrictions on what can be done if there is a need to mitigate erosion from the river’s flow.
Thomas Damon suggested that the town should seek private donations to avoid using taxpayer money to pay for the bridge restoration.
“Go to these big box stores that make millions of dollars on us every day and say, ‘Let’s go get this thing done,’” Damon said. “But I’m not [in favor of] one dollar of taxpayers’ money going to this project.”
Asked whether the question would be placed on the town meeting warrant, Ruggles said the board has not discussed that yet, and Town Administrator Jeanie Forrester said there are many steps to go before the town would have any concrete plans.
This story originally appeared in the Laconia Daily Sun.