Vandals are marring and threatening to destroy the symbol of our community…the Weddle Covered Bridge.
For the last 15 years, the Weddle Covered Bridge has been our focal point, the first place one takes out-of-town guests when giving a tour of Sweet Home, a place for weddings, picnics and first-kisses.
For some, though, it is nothing more than a place to hang out and tear apart.
Perhaps they are ignorant of the bridge?s history or why it is so important to our town.
We call the late 1980s the ?dark ages? for rural Oregon. The state?s rural economy was being gutted as timber companies folded one after another due to a lack of allowable harvests from private and public lands.
The spotted owl was listed as an endangered species and millions of acres of federal and state forest lands immediately became off limits to logging.
Towns like Sweet Home suffered and were left to find new ways to create jobs.
For Sweet Home, many volunteers spent hour upon hour working on ways to diversify the local economy, settling upon tourism.
A key element in that plan was moving the Weddle Covered Bridge, all 120 feet of it, from its resting place near Scio to Ames Creek in Sankey Park.
Many folks were involved in the arduous two-year project. Some are gone, like Bill Putnam, others are still with us such as Scott Proctor, Bennie Dahlenburg, Erland Erickson, Howard Dew, just to name a few.
Their task was huge. No one had ever moved a bridge of its size.
With equipment donated by local logging companies, the bridge arose from its many parts into something the entire town can take pride. Scott Proctor tells us that the project cost about $75,000 and was estimated in value at more than $250,000.
But the real value of the bridge wasn?t monetary. It was a symbol that Sweet Home would survive those dark times. It would continue to move forward, even if it seemed at times at a crawl.
The bridge is the backdrop to the Oregon Jamboree and is usually always included in any photo taking session of our town.
A committee of volunteers has been working in recent months to develop a plan to refurbish the bridge over a three year period. Estimated cost is about $35,000. You will be hearing more about this project.
Its cedar roof leaks. There is dry rot in spots. Its once bright white paint is now tarnished with mold.
After 15 years service to our town and three-quarters century service overall, the old girl needs a facelift.
But until that time, Sweet Home must protect the bridge from those who would do it harm.
Some folks blame our high school students, and to an extent, they are correct. Some high school kids have used the bridge as a hangout and place to smoke cigarettes. But the school district has put the bridge off limits during the school day and officials are working to stem that issue.
The real problem is a group of persons, perhaps high school drop outs, who have nothing to do day or night and are using the bridge as a place to act out with their anger and disgust at society. Should they know better? Certainly. Do they? We don?t know.
But what we do know is that Sweet Home has a lot more than money invested in the Weddle Covered Bridge. It has the sweat and hard work of many volunteers and the emotional investment of many others.
We do not take kindly to folks vandalizing the bridge. Eventually, unless this issue comes under control, gates will be installed to keep the general public away from the main deck of the bridge.
The pathetic actions of a few will impact the goodwill of many and that will truly be a sad day for our town.
A.P.