INC NEWS - That Sucking Sound

[RW Pickle]

It's the noise you hear when the pockets of Durham tax payers are being
sucked dry again. This time it's a needless bridge; the Apex Street
Bridge. On the heels of a tax increase and a $110 million dollar bond that
will have to be repaid, dealing with this issue should be done in a
responsible manner; one that will not obligate the future.

If City Council (on Tuesday) votes to replace the rotten Bridge with a
pedestrian bridge, you'll hear that sucking sound to the tune of almost
$100,000 more than just getting rid of this issue once and for all. It's
the first chance we have had since it was built by American Tobacco almost
50 years ago. Why would Council even consider other options?

The Bridge was built as a by-pass for trains that blocked Enterprise
Street when American Tobacco was in business. American Tobacco is no
longer there and neither are the train tracks that served it. In the
place of the train track today, the American Tobacco Trail. It's time for
this bridge to become a part of history like South Square Mall, the Geer
Building, or the Old Washington Duke Hotel. The Bridge served us well when
we needed it. But to replace it with any bridge at this time will cost us
the future maintenance, repairs, and eventual replacement of anything we
replace it with. Those are additional expenses we as tax payers will
incurr above the cost to just  deal with this bridge one last time and
remove it for good. It has served its purpose, let it go.

We have this rare opportunity to remove this burden to tax payers once and
for all. Let the City Council know that this is just wasting money that
could be spent elsewhere. If we're going to build a new pedestrian bridge,
let's build it acoss I-40 and connect the American Tobacco Trail to the
southern end. That would be better money spent for a pedestrian bridge,
not the replacement of one that has served its purpose and is no longer
necessary.

RWP
27 Beverly