Public meeting set on Victory Twp. covered bridge

From staff reports

A public meeting to discuss the replacement of the covered bridge on Fisherman’s Cove Road over Victory Run in Victory Township will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, May 14, at the Victory municipal building on Old Route 8 in Polk.

The information will be shared as part of the Victory Township supervisors’ monthly meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the project and to receive public input regarding any questions or concerns with the project.

The meeting is also designed to receive any public input regarding historic or archaeological sites in the area that could be affected by the project.

The bridge was built in 1907 as part of a right-of-way for the Jamestown and Franklin Railroad.

In 1990, the right-of-way became a township road, and Gene Gibbs, a township supervisor at the time, organized a project to build a covering over the bridge.

Materials were donated by area businesses and individuals while labor was supplied by Gibbs and teen volunteers from VisionQuest.

Gibbs died in 2011, and his widow Rose has expressed her desire to save the structure from demolition.

The location of the May 14 meeting is handicapped accessible.

The project documents will be made available in alternative languages or formats if requested.