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 Donor Offers $100K Matching Grant

An anonymous donor will contribute $100,000 if an equal amount of donations are collected by Sept. 30.

The Fox Point footbridge fundraising effort may be getting a boost with the help of a generous donor's $100,000 matching grant. If footbridge fundraiser organizers are able to collect $100,000 in donations by Sept. 30, the effort will get an additional $100,000 donation from an anonymous donor.  Fox Point Footbridge Friends Inc. is a group of local residents charged with raising $655,000 as part of a public-private partnership with the village for a new footbridge over the ravine between Bridge and Barnett Lanes. The donor will also match – dollar for dollar – all pledges of $5,000 or more from new donors. Additionally, the donor will match significantly increased gifts from previous campaign donors. “This is an incredibly generous offer …

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Footbridge Removal, Whitney Rd. Repairs Among Last Week Top Headlines

In case you missed it, here's a few of our top stories from last week.

In case you missed it, here's last week's top headlines out of Fox Point and Bayside. To stay up with all the news on a daily basis, be sure to subscribe to our daily newsletter.  Fox Point Moves to Demolish Footbridge Fox Point's Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge seems destined for demolition, based on the Village Board's actions Tuesday night. After three years of debating the future of the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, trustees asked Ayres Consulting to solicit bids for the removal of the bridge. The consultants have already estimated the bridge removal would cost $359,000, but the final bidding documents would also include the cost of limited landscaping of paths around the ravine. Once the bids are solicited, trustees would have to give …

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Fox Point Moves to Demolish Footbridge

After years of debate, the Village Board is seeking bids for the removal of the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, although a private effort will continue to raise funds for a new bridge.

Fox Point Moves to Demolish Footbridge

After years of debate, the Village Board is seeking bids for the removal of the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, although a private effort will continue to raise funds for a new bridge.

Fox Point's Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge seems destined for demolition, based on the Village Board's actions Tuesday night. After three years of debating the future of the Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge, trustees asked Ayres Consulting to solicit bids for the removal of the bridge. The consultants have already estimated the bridge removal would cost $359,000, but the final bidding documents would also include the cost of limited landscaping of paths around the ravine. Once the bids are solicited, trustees would have to give final approval for the demolition to move forward. The abutments and piers needed to support a future bridge will remain in tact, should the board decide to eventually construct a new bridge. But for now, the structure …

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Absolutelyfabulous

7:05 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013

In the interim one can easily set up a facebook page outlining your position, costs to taxpayers, village trustee emails/phone numbers to call as well as allowing for people interested to conduct discussions and so forth and so forth at no cost but a bit of time. I believe one can also set up petitions online as well. "Do you have an issue that you feel strongly about that you want your friends …   more ›

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.

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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Fox Point Village Board Authorizes Planning for Replacement Footbridge

Ayers will design a brand new bridge in accordance with specifications from Village President Michael West, however, construction will not begin just yet.

Fox Point Village Board members voted Tuesday to have consultant Ayers Associates design a brand new bridge to replace the old Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge in accordance with specifications laid out by President Michael West. "Don’t forget, we are not committed to building a bridge," West said. Tuesday's decision does not tie the board to constructing anything that the consultant, Ayers Associates, creates. However, it does set the board on that path, as they utilize the allocated $37,773 contract with Ayers to plan a replacement bridge rather than repair or removal. Trustee Beverly Bell suggested modifying West's proposal to request Ayers also look into repair options, but other trustees voted it down. "If we take your motion, it is …

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Fox Point Spends $71,000 on Footbridge Consultants

A total of six studies by two companies have been commissioned by the village.

The Bridge Lane Ravine Footbridge has generated a lot of debate and discussion among many Fox Point residents since its closure in October 2010. While some residents have shared tearful speeches with the Village Board, others have strongly suggested any funding of the bridge could be better spent on things like road repairs. But one question both sides are asking: What has the village spent on the multiple reports that have completed on the bridge? According to Village Manager Susan Robertson, to date, the village has spent $71,105 on reports and updates from two structural engineering firms on the bridge. In April 2009, the board hired GRAEF-USA Inc.,which warned deterioration of the bridge had reached a point where it was no longer safe …

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