Letter to the Editor: Kiwanis Club announces completion of new bridge at Loudy-Simpson Park
In the early to mid 1980s, Loudy-Simpson Park was in the early development stage. Numerous improvements were discussed and planned, but costs were prohibitive for everything suggested and planned.
One of the projects was to build a “nature trail” North and West of the lagoon West of South Ranney Street.
In 1985 Bert Carroll, a past-president of the Craig Kiwanis Club was fatally injured in a motorcycle accident in Glenwood Canyon. The Kiwanis Club took on the trail project and dedicated it in Bert’s memory.
There was nearly one-half mile of trees, brush and trash to clear and clean up in preparation for the trail. Plus, a 27-foot bridge needed to be constructed across where the water from the lagoon empties back into the Yampa River.
Roy Nitschke and Gaylord Flies, Kiwanis members, headed up the bridge construction along with Howard Kling, also a club member heading up the construction of the trail.
A group of club members made several overnight trips to Northwest Moffat County to cut lodge pole pines for the trail border. At the time all labor was done manually as 4 wheelers, skid-steers etc. were not available. Moffat County provided the gravel for the trail which was loaded into wheel barrows and spread by hand on the one-half mile trail by Club Members.
The trail and the bridge were completed and ready for use in the Summer of 1986.
Thirty-two years later in 2018, the original bridge had to be removed as the water currents through the years had undercut the supports at the East end of the bridge.
The bridge was moved and reinstalled at a new location East of Craig, between the Boys and Girls Club and the Luttrell Barn.
In 2019, the County applied for and received a grant from the Yampa Valley Community Foundation for the construction of the placement of a new bridge over the lagoon outlet on the trail.
In the Summer of 2020, the Kiwanis Club once again volunteered to construct a new bridge, and with the help of community members Greg Knez, John Hogue, and Mark DeMent, the bridge was completed, placed and ready for use in October of 2020.
All signage for the entrances to the trail has been provided by the Kiwanis Club. The Kiwanis Club is also proud to announce that the new bridge is ADA compliant.
Thank you,
Kiwanis Club of Craig
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