City of St. Peters
NEWS RELEASE

Community Relations
One St. Peters Centre Blvd.
P.O. Box 9
St. Peters, Missouri 63376

June 23, 2005

Landmark Bridge Receiving a Makeover

A St. Peters landmark will soon undergo improvements to preserve its appearance and structural integrity. Crews are planning to begin work this week on the Spencer Creek Covered Bridge on Sutters Mill Road at Spencer Creek Park.

Work will include painting the bridge and replacing some of the structural posts and braces. The project is scheduled to last about a month. Motorists are asked to be careful as they drive through the work zone. Later this summer, the City of St. Peters also will replace the bridge's roof.

Both Ward 3 Aldermen, Len Pagano and Bruce Holt, are happy to see the landmark get some much-needed attention.

"I had some residents come to me about three months after I was last elected to the Board of Aldermen and tell me that the bridge was in bad shape, and they were right," said Alderman Holt, who lives near the bridge and walks over it almost every day. He said he brought the issue to the rest of the Board of Aldermen. The Board agreed to use funds from the half-cent transportation tax to repair the bridge.

Alderman Pagano said the bridge was erected as a private structure in 1976 and 1977 by builder Roger Adams. Pagano, who moved to the subdivision in 1976, said that by the mid- to late-eighties a resident group called The Covered Bridge Neighbors had asked the City of St. Peters to accept the private bridge and assume maintenance. Pagano credits the resident group for saving the covered bridge. He said the residents were unable to continue maintenance of the bridge as people's financial situations changed.

"I truly thank these women for their vision," Alderman Pagano said. "Without them, the City would have taken the top off and just had an overpass and no structure." Instead, Pagano noted, the bridge is now a landmark and the only covered bridge in the City.

Alderman Holt said the bridge is important because "it's an historical neighborhood landmark. In these modern times, those things are far and few between. When you say 'the Spencer Creek Covered Bridge,' everyone knows exactly what you're talking about."

He credited Mrs. Kowalik, who lives on Sutters Mill Road, for "moving me along on this." "She has voiced deep appreciation and is happy the bridge is going to be rehabilitated," Alderman Holt said.

Alderman Pagano says the following residents were part of the Covered Bridge Neighbors who asked the City to assume maintenance of the bridge: Marilyn Krebs, Cheryl Swenson Higgins, Wilma Yeast, Cathy Mertz, Beverly Jensen, Marilyn Seavers, Karren Ludwig, Barb Ehlers, Sandy Knecht, Lori Gillardi, Danna Hardt, Elinore Bonuso, Jan Eggert, Dorthy Marsh and Kris Teter.

Because of the covered bridge's historical significance, the City will match the landmark's original wood—rough sawn oak—during the project.

The contract for the current project to paint and repair the bridge's structure is $33,772. The Streets Department expects roof repairs, which will be bid soon, to cost another several thousand dollars. The City budgeted $40,000 total for upgrades to the Spencer Creek Covered Bridge.

NEWS CONTACT:
636.477.6600 or 636.278.2244
Lisa Bedian, ext. 229
David Fults, ext. 227