It’s time to step up to save bridge

To the editor:

I am writing to all the city and county officials in local leadership and to any entity and community organization that can help the city to acquire the Big Blue Bridge.

We are asking that you work together to step up and help create a historic destination for our city of Portland. This has been a real struggle as many of our local citizens have expressed their desire to save our Big Blue Bridge. We are fast running out of time and need you to step up and accept the challenge of saving an important piece of history for our town.

Often a problem seems impossible to solve. The bridge is not one of them. I would cite the Weiler Building as a problem that once faced our community. I attended a meeting inside the building years ago that was called to obtain community input on what we should do. The general opinion at the time was to just tear it down and make a parking lot out of it. Thank goodness, that was not the consensus of everyone in the community. Can you visualize Portland today without the John Jay Center for Learning? Everyone in Jay County now has a beautiful 1920s building to point to with pride.

Likewise, it is hard to imagine Portland without our Big Blue Bridge. We have a place to put the bridge, a committee to raise funds to support the project and now we need a government entity to sign for the bridge. A solution has been found and now it is time for you to do your job. Take charge of the bridge and work with the residents of Portland to create a true landmark for our city.

It is certainly within your powers to do this. It is good for our community.

Sincerely,

Jay County Historical Society

Jane Ann Spencer

Jay County Historian