6/10/11 Park District to seek civil penalties for steel bridges removed without permission from Holmes County Trail

  • By Nick Sabo
  • June 10, 2011
  • 257
                        
SUMMARY: Bridges were to be used in completing trail between Killbuck and state Route 520 The Holmes County Park District will seek civil penalties for two steel bridges removed from an unfinished section of the Holmes County Trail. The park board met in a special meeting Friday June 10 and hired Wooster attorney Bob Reynolds to begin civil proceedings against the persons responsible for removing the bridges. Park District Director Jen Halverson said the two bridges lay in the right-of-way of an unfinished section of the trail located between Killbuck and state Route 520. The bridges were part of a permanent easement secured by the Holmes County Rails to Trails Coalition. Their removal was not approved by either the coalition or park district, Halverson said. Removal of the bridges will affect the district’s ability to complete the final phases of the trail. Halverson said engineers completing the engineering phase of the trail found the bridges to be sound and incorporated them into the final design. With the bridges gone, the park district will have to build new structures. “Now, we’ll have to change the design to include new bridges in those locations, which could lead to higher design costs,” Halverson said. “They were in great shape and we planned to use them.” The completed section of trail has incorporated many of the old iron bridges. Constructed to handle railroad traffic, they are still servicable and saved the coalition and park district the expense of a new structure. To put the bridges back in service, usually all that is necessary is a wood frame, flooring, and rails for safety. Halverson said there “is nothing left” of the steel bridges except for the abutments. The park district acted after several boardmembers were informed that the bridges were being removed. The park district has not completed an estimate of the removed bridges’ value and does not yet have estimates for replacement costs, Halverson said. Reynolds will begin by reviewing the easement agreement and go from there. Halverson said she does not know what form the proposed civil penalties will take. “At this point our attorney will look at what the damages are and what they will entail,” Halverson said. 



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