Footbridge Removal to Cost $228,000

The Village Board approved a demolition contract that calls for the Bridge Lane Ravine footbridge to be removed no later than Oct. 15.

The removal of the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbrdige will cost $228,200, according to Fox Point Now. The Fox Point Village Board on Tuesday night entered into a $187,700 contract – about $150,000 less than anticipated – for the demolition and removal of the footbridge. Trustees signed a separate $40,500 contract with Ayres Associates to inspect the demolition process and prepare contract documents. Trustees Beverly Bell, F.R. Dengel and Christine Symchych voted against the contract with Ayres, according to NOW, because two contractors seemed unnecessary. Public Works Director Scott Brandmeier said Ayres is hired to make sure the work is done appropriately and to address any issues that may come up. The contractor, C.W. Purpero, plans to …

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Footbridge Foe Calls for $12.5K Survey of Taxpayers

In a letter to the Village Board, a new taxpayers group requests $12,500 to survey all Fox Point residents about the use of taxpayer money for the Bridge Lane footbridge project.

A newly-formed Fox Point Taxpayers Alliance is requesting $12,500 from the Village Board to survey all Fox Point taxpayers about the use of taxpayer money for the Bridge Lane footbridge project. Larry Booth, a longtime opponent of the footbridge who serves as the president of the new group, said the Taxpayers Alliance deserves access to village funds, just as the Footbridge Friends received $30,000 to start its $625,000 fundraising campaign. Booth said the majority of residents are not aware of the cost of the footbridge project. In a letter to the board, Booth said trustees should give equal credence to villagers who do not support the footbridge project. "Therefore, in the interest of fairness, citizen participation and the obligation of…

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How Important Is Fox Point's Footbridge?

We wrote this story last week and several of you made comments. We wondered what you thought.

Footbridge 'Critical to Fox Point History,' Says Architecture Critic

Whitney Gould spoke at the Town Club in Fox Point on Wednesday.

Fox Point Footbridge Gets Boost to $1.6 Million in 2013

Village Board approves $525,000 in extra funds to remove, repair or rebuild nearly 100-year-old pedestrian footbridge.

The Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge in Fox Point is getting a financial boost next year to $1.6 million with an extra $525,000 approved in the village's 2013 budget.  The budget had already borrowed $1.1 million for the bridge, but after village staff looked over reports from the project consultant, officials decided to boost that by an additional $525,000, bringing the total to $1,636,269. Residents are still expected to raise $625,000 to fund repair, replacement or removal of the infamous footbridge.  Not everyone thinks the bridge is worth the money, however. Patch reader and Fox Point resident Larry Booth  had this to say: "It's important to note that the $2.26 million cost of this obscure and unnecessary footbridge ($1.6 million in the …

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Larry Booth

2:08 pm on Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Dick --- I really like your idea for lookout platforms. By the way, there are about 2,500 homes in Fox Point. That is $1,100 in taxes per hosehold to pay for this absurd footbridge!   more ›

Fox Point Board to Consider Footbridge Survey Tuesday

After many residents have expressed strong feelings, both for and against, work on the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, the Village Board will talk about including a survey in the Fall Village Newsletter.

The Fox Point Footbridge saga continues Monday when the Village Board will chat about possibly including a survey in the fall, village-wide newsletter.  The Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge connects Bridge Lane and Barnett Lane, spanning a deep ravine, and that bridge has been closed since October 2010.  Residents Larry Booth and Bob Cory have asked the board repeatedly to consider posing a referendum question on election ballots to gauge the level of support for taxpayer money funding the project. Both men are not in favor of building a new bridge, as Booth called it "The $1.1 Million Bridge to Nowhere" in one of his Letter's to the Editor.  "We need this to be on an informational flier to all residents (like the crime report sent out) and…

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Sarah Worthman

9:45 pm on Sunday, September 9, 2012

Thanks for your comments everyone. Will any of you be attending the meeting Tuesday?   more ›

Fox Point Lends $30,000 to Footbridge Fundraising Effort

Footbridge Friends originally requested $45,450 in public funds to pay a professional fundraiser to raise their $625,000 share for a new footbridge.

A fundraising group charged with raising $625,000 for the replacement of the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge went before the Village Board Monday night requesting $45,450 in start-up money to pay for a fundraising consultant. At a meeting attended by a dozen residents, the Fox Point Village Board instead decided to limit the initial seed money to $30,000, with the option of providing more money in the future. Trustees also required the group reimburse the money to the village. The fundraising group, Footbridge Friends, Inc., was recently incorporated with $1,500 in assistance from the village. The group has been tasked by trustees to raise $625,000 in donations, which is roughly half of the cost of construction a new bridge — not including …

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Fox Point Village Board Holding Special Footbridge Meeting Monday

The board will potentially vote on providing the initial funding for the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, a hot topic in Fox Point that's garnered much support for each option - repairing, replacing and removing.

The Fox Point Village Board could vote Monday to issue initial funds to replace the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge.  Those funds would be supplied to Footbridge Friends, Inc. to allow Progress Consulting, LLC. and Clear Verve Marketing, LLC. begin marketing campaigns to solicit donations for the remaining half of the estimated cost to replace the bridge.  In December the board challenged residents to raise $500,000 toward the estimated $1 million replacement cost for the bridge. The Village Board will meet at 4 p.m. Monday to discuss funding and could potentially approve those funds — to the dismay of some residents. "The fundraising group was supposed to raise funds on their own," Fox Point resident Bob Cory told Patch in an e-mail. "A …

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Residents Target Fox Point Footbridge at Village Board Meeting

The infamous Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge was not on Tuesday night's Village Board agenda, however, three residents still brought up their concerns about the building cost of reports and a stronger need for pool repairs.

For the first time in months, the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge was not on the Fox Point Village Board's agenda. However, that didn't stop three residents from voicing concern that the footbridge is a perpetual cost and that money could be better spent elsewhere.  "My concern is that Fox Point’s going to spend any money that they have and then we’re going to be stuck without a swimming pool a couple years from now when that needs to be done," resident Deborah Whittle said. "I’m just concerned that when you guys keep going at this bridge that really only services the people in that general area." Whittle mentioned the March Village Board meeting, which had so many people in attendance the crowd spilled out into the hallway. At that meeting…

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Letter to the Editor: Deep Pockets and Too Many Consultants

Fox Point resident criticizes board for hiring additional consultants and the Village President for perpetuating his personal agenda.

The village of Fox Point recently contracted with an engineering consutant to "Count the existing street signs and recommend new signs that conform with recent Federal guidelines". With all the summer hire people working for the village along with a qualified internal engineering staff could not the village turn inside to "count signs" and look in a catalog for new ones? We already hired our third consultant at a cost of $17,500 to give the village advise on the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge! Is the village going out of its way to spend money? Is the village staff actually "under used"? The village of Fox Point seems to have deep pockets when it comes to building over-sized police buildings, buying vehicles and equipment, and casually …

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