James Rada, Jr.
If the residents of Thurmont have their preference, the old railroad bridge across Church Street in downtown Thurmont would be repaired, painted black, and have the word “Thurmont” painted across it.
Those are the leading findings from a survey that was conducted by a citizen’s group, trying to decide what avenues to pursue to deal with the bridge. Town resident Bryant Despeaux came up with the idea of the survey, which has been promoted by Commissioner Marty Burns.
He said during a town meeting, “I think that bridge is the biggest eyesore this town has, and as the Gateway to the Mountain, the Gateway to Downtown, anything we do is going to be an improvement.”
The survey was posted online from July 20, 2017, to October 31, 2017. During that time 354 surveys (264 from Thurmont) were submitted from four states. The brief survey asked questions about possible options for the bridge.
Nearly 59 percent of respondents said the bridge needed to be refurbished, while 5.68 percent said it was fine as it was.
The most-popular solution for the concrete abutments was to repair them and then add a stone or faux stone covering. This was the choice of 46.97 percent of respondents. Other choices were adding murals on the abutments, painting them, or just repairing them.
Painting “Thurmont” on the bridge, so that it might serve as a gateway to the downtown area, was a popular option. Other choices were merely painting it, hanging banners, or doing nothing.
The most popular choice for a color to paint the bridge was black (31.9 percent), although some people suggested painting it with Catoctin High School’s colors.
An attractive option that intrigued a lot of respondents was to add LED lights underneath the bridge that could use different colors for different seasons or occasions.
While all of these options would undoubtedly make the bridge more attractive, they come with a cost. Burns explained that because of the lead paint on the bridge, rehabilitation could cost $100,000.
“So, I’m looking at doing fundraisers, and we’re looking at grant funding for this. We’re looking at anything to help us fund this without pulling it out of any kind of fund because it could potentially cost some money and we’re receptive to that,” Burns said.
A possible option is to do the least-expensive options first so that progress can be seen while funds continue to be raised for the more-costly alternatives.
Now the town needs to decide how it wants to proceed.
Findings from a survey conducted regarding what to do with the old railroad bridge in downtown Thurmont show residents want it repaired, painted black, and have the word “Thurmont” painted across it.
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