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Volunteer group asks Sheffield for partnership to preserve Old Railroad Bridge
Summary
A volunteer leader urged Sheffield to partner with neighboring cities, counties and heritage organizations to maintain and fund the Old Railroad Bridge, saying the site draws routine foot traffic and would be more successful in fundraising with municipal backing.
A volunteer leader for the Old Railroad Bridge asked Sheffield city officials during a work session to form a formal partnership so the nonprofit can focus on fundraising and engineering needs while municipalities handle routine maintenance.
"We do have 2,000 people walking that bridge weekly," the presenter said, urging the council to help with simple logistics such as mowing and hauling a mower and to share social-media promotion to attract donors. She said the bridge has local donors and letters of support from tourism organizations but needs municipal backing to win larger grants.
Mayor Eric Vandiver responded that the bridge has been the subject of multi‑jurisdictional discussions for years and recommended a regional working group. "The Old Railroad Bridge is not just simply a Sheffield landmark. It's a regional landmark," he said, describing past efforts including legislative annexation and outreach to the state attorney general.
Council members did not vote on a formal request at the session but invited a more detailed meeting with the bridge group to explore steps such as clarifying ownership, engineering priorities and maintenance responsibilities. The presenter offered to supply an updated usage report and asked the city to convene or to allow a regional table where the nonprofit, counties and other cities could participate.
