Private fundraising campaign begins to save Long Grove covered bridge
Supporters of preserving Long Grove's one-lane covered bridge are embarking on a $100,000 fundraising campaign in an effort to achieve their goal.
Dating to the early 1900s, the span gained a significant backer in June when Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council members voted in favor of the bridge's inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. State officials said they expect the National Park Service to act on the designation by fall.
Former Long Grove Village President Angie Underwood is part of the private effort to help partially finance the bridge's preservation with a goal of collecting at least $100,000. She heads the Long Grove Historical Society, which is in charge of a covered bridge fund at a bank.
"We feel $100,000 is enough to send a material message to the village board that the community is really invested and really feels strongly that they'd like to see the bridge renovated," Underwood said.
As part of a promotional effort, a roughly 3-foot-by-6-foot sign will be placed outside the downtown visitors center until year's end showing the amount of money being raised for the bridge. The village board Tuesday night approved a request for the sign at Old McHenry and Robert Parker Coffin roads, which came from the historical society and Downtown Long Grove Business Association.
Lines on the sign are marked in $10,000 increments until hitting the $100,000. However, some Long Grove trustees expressed concern the sign could erroneously lead someone to believe the necessary bridge repairs might run $100,000 instead of $850,000 or more.
"I really don't want to send a message to the community that says if we hit $100,000, we automatically save the bridge," Trustee Chris Borawski said.
Village Attorney Betsy Gates-Alford told the trustees they only may consider the temporary sign request as part of a special event application, not the message.
Citing the covered bridge's poor condition, Long Grove officials have been exploring options to renovate or replace it with a one- or two-lane span at the western entry to downtown. Discussions began in 2014 about the bridge that goes over Buffalo Creek.
Long Grove's span was constructed in 1906 by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Co. and is a rare surviving example of a pin-connected pony truss bridge built for an urban setting, according to the documents submitted to the state. A "nostalgic covering" was added in 1972 to help preserve the bridge and limit traffic from trucks and other heavy vehicles.
Underwood said while the fundraising campaign officially kicked off at last weekend's Vintage Days, about $46,000 in donations toward the bridge were made quietly earlier this year. She said a GoFundMe page went live last week and is among the links on a website created by the covered bridge backers.