DUMMERSTON — Repair work finally began this week on the wing walls of the West Dummerston Covered Bridge, but now another task is looming - paying for it.
The town already has a $200,000 federal transportation grant, but more money will be needed to complete the work on the historic 1872 bridge.
So, a special town meeting has been warned for Thursday, Aug. 23, at 6 p.m., at the Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center to see if the town will authorize expenditure of up to $42,504.37 of the fiscal year 2012 surplus for expenses on the bridge repair project.
After an administrative error forced the town to rebid the repairs, the Selectboard on July 12 awarded the project to Renaud Brothers of Vernon. They were the low bidder at $234,820. Renaud Brothers recently completed repairs to the Green Iron Bridge, located downstream from the covered bridge.
The original low bidders of the project, Bernie LaRock & Son Inc. of Guilford, were runners-up this time with a bid of $238,620. Willey Earthmoving Corp. of Windsor was third-highest at $240,750, and T. Buck Construction of Auburn, Maine was the high bidder at $373,500.
The wing walls, the stone and concrete supports on each end of the covered bridge, were found to be deteriorated by Renaud Brothers when the firm did some repair work in 2009. The town, which was in the process of rehabilitating the Green Iron Bridge, wanted to make sure that crossing was open before shutting down the covered bridge for several weeks.
The wing wall project is starting later than planned, but the town hopes that work will be completed by mid-September. Traffic on the East West Road has been detoured over Quarry Road to the Green Iron Bridge.
The swimming hole near the covered bridge will also be closed while the repairs take place.