ANAMOSA, Iowa (KCRG) - The fate of a 140-year-old bridge in Anamosa is still up in the air.
Monday night, the Anamosa City Council voted to approve a settlement to end litigation over the Dillon Military Bridge with Jones County.
The Anamosa City Council is giving community members the opportunity to come forward with a plan, but if a plan isn’t executed within a certain time frame the bridge will be torn down.
During a meeting last summer, they found it would cost nearly $200,000 to tear down.
The cost of that demolition would be split among the two parties equally according to the agreement.
However, some community members are looking to change the city’s mind.
John Dirks has 2200 signatures on a petition he started last year to save the bridge.
“The historical value of this bridge can’t be replaced, that’s all I can say about it,” he said.
Dirks explained how the bridge holds memories for so many people, that they aren’t ready to let go of.
So, they have been advocating at city council meetings as well as on social media.
They have been working with Julie Bowers, from Workin’ Bridges, to create a proposal for the non-profit to buy the bridge, restore it, and then transfer it back to local ownership.
They want the bridge to be restored so the community can use it as a walking path.
Since the bridge is from 1887, they wish for it to continue making an impact in the lives of Iowans and being an important historical landmark.
Joshua Ludley, the man behind the Historical Dillon Military Bridge social media page, told us the restoration could be practical as well.
Ludley explained that if it was a walking or bike path, people would no longer have to cross South Elm Street that is typically busy with cars.
He said the bridge also supports warning buoys to make water visitors aware of the upcoming dam.
The city and county had looked into options to repair or build new last year which estimates how it would cost nearly $3 million to repair or almost $2 million to build new.