February 2003 update from Paul Rohrbacher on the Hale Bridge:
Dear Allan King Sloan Family,
When I went to the commission's office today, your gracious
Grant for $2000.00 was waiting in the mail box. On behalf of the Jones County
Historical Preservation Commission, we thank you!
Your Grant will be a giant boost in our effort to obtain
matching funds desperately needed for bridge repair and the final move of the
Hale (KING) Bowstring Bridge to its new home.
As an update, on 18 and 19 Feb. the two smaller 80 foot long
spans were craned off of their piers and trucked .6 miles north to their
staging site for repair. The move was flawlessly performed, no damage! See
the enclosure of the Monticello Express article, titled: "TWO OF THE THREE
HALE BRIDGE SPANS ARE MOVED".
The longer 100 foot span is currently being prepared for its
move to its staging site, south of the Wapsipinicon River. This span will
require a lot of repair work to fix rust, replace missing rivets, weld cracks,
and etc.
Your Grant will be used to help with the repairs and to move
the three King Bowstring Bridges, as an unit, to their new home.
Will you please send me photos of yourself and family. I want
to write an article about your generous Grant to be published in our local
newspapers.
Thank you again for your Grant,
Paul Rohrbacher
319-465-6369
Jones County Historical Preservation Commission
