Town puts ad out on Freese Road Bridge, hopes for offer

The Town of Dryden recently put out an advertisement for those looking to purchase the old Freese Road Bridge over Fall Creek in the hamlet of Varna, which is currently closed due to safety issues.

The ad, posted on the town’s website since Feb. 2, has not garnered any offers yet, according to town Deputy Supervisor Dan Lamb.

The bridge has been closed since Dec. 10, 2021 due to structural issues and weight-limit concerns. Between 2019 and 2021, the bridge’s weight limit was lowered from 15 to 3 tons.

The bridge was built in 1882 by the Groton Bridge Co. Lamb has said that it is one of the last two-span, pin-connected Pratt pony truss bridges left in America.

Aside from the main issues, Lamb said, the structure was originally coated with lead-based paint.

Lamb noted that the closure of the bridge has been a burden for Varna residents, who cannot cross the creek on Freese Road. He added that agricultural and emergency vehicles also may need to cross the bridge.

“To go around, up to Route 366 back down is a roundabout way to get to places,” Lamb said.

According to the ad, the deadline for submissions is March 17. Lamb noted that because the bridge is a historical structure, the state requires the town to advertise it for six weeks.

Lamb said if someone puts in an offer, the town will work with the contractor to move the bridge to another location. According to the ad, the projected cost to remove the bridge is $100,000, excluding the removal of lead-based paint from the steel structure. The ad notes that lead-based paint removal would require a separate independent contractor.

If there are no offers, Lamb added, portions of the bridge’s structure will “have to be salvaged.”

“It’s not what any of us want, but it carries a certain amount of burden to refinish and reuse,” Lamb said, noting that the town is restricted from giving the bridge to a neighboring community for use or placing it in an area like the Dryden Trail Rail.

If no offers are in place after the ad deadline has passed, the town will begin the process of removing the old bridge and replacing it with a new, single-lane steel, multi-girder bridge. More importantly, Lamb said, the town plans to incorporate the old facade into the new bridge.

Removing the old bridge and replacing it with a new one will be covered by the $2.7 million BridgeNY grant the town received in 2016.

“We’re removing it because it’s not structurally sound,” Lamb said. “There’s no new cost to the town on this [project].”

According to documents surrounding the bridge, construction would begin in May 2025 and end in November the same year. Design approvals are tentatively set for April 2024, with the final design projected to be in place by December 2024.

The ad notes that any agencies, jurisdictions, organizations or private parties interested in owning the old bridge for aesthetic, historic, recreational or other uses are asked to contact Cassie Byrnes, confidential secretary to the town supervisor, at 607-844-8888 or secretary@dryden.ny.us.

Dryden Dispatch appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Email story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.

Books and Brew to meet on March 16

Books and Brew, a genre book club facilitated by Southworth Library, will meet on March 16 at Hopshire Farm & Brewery on 1771 Dryden Rd. in the village of Freeville.

The theme for March’s meeting is fables, fantasies and fairytales. A suggested book for the meeting is one set in Ireland that features leprechauns.

Beverages will be available at the meeting. Those looking to attend can also bring snacks to share.

Village of Dryden offices return to main floor

The village of Dryden recently announced that offices at its village hall on 16 South St. have moved back downstairs and the parking lot is open once again.

Due to construction and updates to the village hall, the offices were temporarily moved to the second floor. With the move back to the first floor, the village offices will be open from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, contact the village office at 607-844-8122.

Memorial event for late town board member is March 25

A memorial event celebrating the life of the late James Edward “Jim” Skaley will be held at 2 p.m. March 25 at the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca on 306 N. Aurora St. in downtown Ithaca.

Skaley, a former Dryden town board member who was an expert in planning and an advocate for the hamlet of Varna, passed away on Christmas Eve following his battle with an undisclosed illness.