Plans to add decorative lighting to the Winamac Town Park’s “swinging bridge” got the blessing of the town council Monday.
Project organizer Greg Henry told council members that the project committee has chosen a design. “It will include the cables, every other vertical, the towers, and the underside,” he said. “And it was, more or less, just a unanimous vote that that would be the best option for us.” This option was nearly $50,000 cheaper than lighting the entire bridge, which would have cost more than $327,000.
The goal is to install the lighting feature in time for the bridge’s centennial on July 4, 2023, when a large rededication ceremony is planned.
Henry hopes it will prove to be a big draw for Winamac. “You can use Pulaski as an example, where people drive from miles away to come down and look at all the lights at Pulaski,” he said. “Well, now maybe they’ll come to Winamac and check out the bridge.” But he said the organizers want to involve all of Pulaski County, since the bridge was dedicated to all of the county’s soldiers and sailors.
The lighting feature would be funded primarily by donations. Henry said one option they’re considering is allowing individuals to dedicate the individual lights in memory of someone. Another is to encourage school classes to donate as a group. But there are also other ways people can get involved. “We would like to get people to give their ideas and give us pictures,” Henry said. “We’re going to post them on the website so that everybody’s involved. If you’ve got a picture of your class or your wedding was over there in the park or whatever it might be, send us the pictures. We’ve got a website, and we’ll be glad to put them on there. We want this for everybody.”
Meanwhile, the Pulaski County Historical Society recently got $6,000 to help with some preliminary work. The Efroymson Family Fund awarded a grant to help the town with the cost of painting and rehabilitation.
More information can be found at MemorialSwingingBridge.com.
