Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Official Launch of SaveOurBridge Five PM Today

Official as of Five PM today, the Save Pond Eddy Bridge blog will be launching its twitter account @SaveOurBridge so please follow us.  You can also email blog admin with questions, articles suggestions, or to share photographs at savepondeddybridge@gmail.com.

If you are involved in the efforts to save the Pond Eddy Bridge, and want your link going out on Twitter via the SaveOurBridge Account please email your link and message so we can add it to our message list that will be going out daily to the twitterverse.  Also please click on Petition Tab above and sign the petition to save the bridge today.

Saturday Campaign Launch Great Success

Save Pond Eddy Bridge Update...Saturday Campaign Launch Great Success

It is OFFICIAL...with attendance this past Saturday in Pond Eddy of fifty people, including representatives of two National Environmental Organizations, efforts to save the Pond Eddy Bridge can officially be called a movement.
Veterans Toss Wreath Off Bridge
State Assembly Woman Aileen Gunther has officially asked Governor Cuomo to include the Pond Eddy Bridge in the state's full infrastructure review with emphasis given to exploring alternatives (restoration) to tearing the historical bridge down and replacing it.  Her request makes perfect since when you realize the importance of the fragile environment, the importance around Pond Eddy which is a part of the great natural resource that is the Delaware River which is home to the federally listed endangered species, the American Bald Eagle which calls the area around the Pond Eddy Bridge its home.
There are alternative options.
Aileen Gunther Speaks
1.  Restore and preserve the historic bridge as the National Landmark that it is.
2.  The state of Pennsylvania could extend a road into the small community that lives on the Pennsylvania side of the river, a solution that would cost less money, and avoid impacting the fragile ecosystem of the Delaware River.
3.  A combination that would include both extending a road into the community on the PA side, and restoration and preservation of the bridge.
Organizations who have so far joined the fight, are now working with "Friends of the Pond Eddy Bridge" include:


Please get involved in this effort to save the Pond Eddy Bridge.  Sign the Petition, visit the websites that are promoting the campaign, and make plans now to attend the next major event at the bridge on August 4, 2012 when boaters will symbolically join in a boat chain from shore to shore.
You can sign the petition to save the bridge here.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Saturday....Don't Forget Rally At Pond Eddy Bridge

There is a whole lot going on tomorrow, including "Spring Gardening Day" where groups all over Sullivan County with the help of Sullivan Renaissance will be working on spring gardening projects...my morning will be spent gardening over in Rock Hill.

Also, please remember that a MAJOR CAMPAIGN to save the Pond Eddy Bridge will be launched Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM, and the larger the crowd for this kick off event the better...MEET AT THE BRIDGE!


Seems no one on the New York side is supportive of the bridge being torn down, and all I can think of is how much prettier this photograph would be if the bridge were RESTORED to its original splendor.  Also, please remember to sign the petition...just click on tab above.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

PA DOT Wanting To Access Shale Gas By Replacing Pond Eddy Bridge?


Calling  ALL FRACTIVISTS...

In an earlier article today I posed the question, "Why is PA DOT wanting to replace a beautiful old historic bridge with a very large, heavy two lane bridge big enough to allow for LARGE TRUCKS, and I further mused...could it be for FRACKING?

Well, if you listen to the video above, seems that others far smarter, other more in the loop than I are having the exact same thoughts, which makes it even more important that we be successful in saving the Pond Eddy Bridge, and the beautiful scenic beauty its one lane protects.

So FRACTIVISTS, watch the video, then get involved...we need signatures on our Petition for starters...5,000 of them.  Click on the tab above this post to be taken right to the Petition Signature Page!  This fight is officially about more than just saving a bridge, it is about saving a pristine scenic wonder from (un) Natural Gas FRACKING!

Pond Eddy...A Pictorial

The Road To Pond Eddy
Though some might not know it, the Pond Eddy Bridge is a destination, the drive there, walking across the bridge taking you back to far simpler times.  The PA. DOT seems to have just three options they are willing to consider right now, and none of the three are acceptable.  Their first, and probably preferred option is to just tear the bridge down and replace it...the fact that said bridge is on the Federal Registry of Historic Landmarks makes that option a tricky one.  

Greek Orthodox Church
Their second option would be to buy the people on the Pennsylvania side of the bridge out, relocate them...to where?  With all due respect, if you walk across the bridge, make a right and walk down till you come to the old tracks, you would realize you cannot put a price on the beauty, solitude and serenity those people have right outside their front or back doors.  How would you propose to make someone whole if you took their property through imminent domain?  Yes, they are pretty isolated, but guessing they want it that way, enjoy the sound of the river passing by, enjoy the silent beauty of a walk down the tracks, perhaps picking berries along the way.

The third option would be to give the bridge to someone willing to MOVE IT so that they can build another new ugly bridge in its place, and in the process destroy the quiet solitude and beauty that is that special place...and for what?  Why would a bridge of four lanes need to be built?  Why would a bridge capable of supporting heavy trucks need to be built where a romantic one lane bridge has more than sufficed for decades upon decades?...perhaps to open the land up for development, or worse, fracking?  What about what the people on the two sides of the bridge want?

Pond Eddy, the bridge, the surrounding area are a very special place, a place of history, a rare space of pristine beauty, quiet and peaceful...all rare commodities in these times in which we live.  Pond Eddy is a place where I could see myself living.  As I write, find myself wishing I had the money to buy up the old Motel and Pizza place, restoring them both, perhaps putting in a small walk up window where people could stop in for a soft serve cone and to ask directions.  The slow pace would suit me, could see myself snuggling in for the winter, maybe writing a book, or taking my camera and driving up the road a piece in the hopes of catching a Bald Eagle on its own winter sojourn.
To know Pond Eddy, to spend some time there is to love it, to recognize it as the special destination that it is.  I would encourage all those who hold the bridges fate in their hands to take a nice slow drive to the bridge.  Roll down your windows and drive slowly, leaving rushing to others as you take the time to take everything in, stopping the car at the sound of water, or slowing down further to admire the flock of wild turkeys meandering along the edge of the woods.  When you arrive at the bridge, park your car across from it, and walk across the bridge, stopping between the two spans to hear the water, the birds, the wind.  Once on the other side, revel in the silence as water splashes down the rock face on the left, towering trees shading you from the heat.  Walk up onto the track and look off into the distance in both directions and you can almost hear the train whistle as history whispers in your ear.
Pond Eddy, the bridge are more than the sum of their parts, and the magic that is the place should be saved.

Pond Eddy In News Today...Changing Tide?

In The News...seems all the noise being made by environmentalist and preservationists may be having an effect as citizens band together to save the "Pond Eddy Bridge".  The NY DOT commissioner is now wondering if preservation funds could be used to restore the bridge where it sits.  Meanwhile, one has to wonder if a lawsuit should be brought against the Interstate Bridge Commission for dereliction of duty, as it is them directly who have failed in their duty to MAINTAIN THE BRIDGE IN GOOD WORKING CONDITION.  From the article:

The state has earmarked $5 million for construction of a new Pond Eddy Bridge and McDonald does not advocate pulling those funds, DOT spokesman William Reynolds said.

The commissioner wants to “investigate if there are resources available for historic preservation that could be allocated to these bridges instead of using scarce resources needed to maintain infrastructure that is much more heavily used,” he said.

Reynolds said the commissioner “would also like the Interstate Bridge Commission agreement legislation to determine what updates are necessary to meet the demands of modern traffic.”

The New York State DOT “is committed to working with PENN-DOT to find a solution amenable to everybody,” he said.
Don't forget...Saturday at 3:00 PM a major campaign to SAVE THE POND EDDY will be kicked off at the bridge on 97.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Friends of Pond Eddy to Announce Major Campaign to SAVE BRIDGE

Last week I went for a drive out to see the historic Pond Eddy bridge, and though it is in need of some serious work, the bridge is a beautiful spectacular piece of workmanship, and the area around it makes for an incredible scenic drive along the rivers edge...do bring a camera (something I forgot to do yesterday, so will have to make the trip again.  

Rather than repair the bridge, the government in its infinite wisdom (make sure to catch my sarcasm) wants to tear it down and put up an UGLY modern day bridge that:

A) is not needed.

B) in no way fits in with the scenic nature of the area...why you asked?  

Because they (PA DOT and the NY DOT) FAILED MISERABLY in maintaining the historic Pond Eddy bridge that was ENTRUSTED (emphasis added) to them.  Well, a group of concerned citizens is looking to save that bridge, and they will announcing a MAJOR CAMPAIGN to try to save it.  WE do not need a new bridge to nowhere, we need the bridge that is there and it's historical significance preserved.

The Short and Sweet Press Release:
Friends of Pond Eddy Bridge – and many others – will announce a major campaign to save the historic Pond Eddy Bridge on Saturday, May 19th at 3:00 p.m. on the All Veterans Memorial Bridge in Pond Eddy.  
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend as we bring attention to this important local cause.

To sign an online petition to save the bridge, go here.