The Plattsburgh City School District has decided to move forward on its own to repair a footbridge over the Saranac River without collaborating with the city. The move follows months of escalating tensions between the entities.
In 2017 officials closed the Webb Island Footbridge, a popular route over the Saranac River adjacent to the high school and SUNY campus. It was built in the 1980’s when the school district was able to access funding for the project. At the time an agreement was reached that after 10 years ownership would be transferred to the city, but the exchange never occurred. After the bridge was closed School Board member Fred Wachtmeister Jr. says they felt the original agreement should be upheld. "Therefore we wanted the city once the bridge was repaired to take ownership and that’s where the rub came into view. The mayor did not want the city to take over the footbridge and he placed numerous conditions, I’ll say it that way, about the footbridge and dragged things on and some of his communications took on a insulting tone. And we just felt that we needed to get that bridge open or we would lose the construction season.”
School Board member Robert Hall Jr., who is also a member of the Clinton County Legislature, feels all governmental entities should have worked together to fix the bridge. “I’m not trying to crucify them but the city kept putting it off and they wanted a lawyer to do this and more people to check the bridge, more engineering and it wasn’t necessary. Am I upset with the city? I don’t know the circumstances to what they did or why they did it. You know the mayor has tried to get the city in responsible financial responsibility and I appreciate that. He’s had to get some things in the right direction. I just think this was a mistake. I think the city should have worked with the school board.”
Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read says he tried to work with school officials and offer the best options. “We tried to be as communicative as possible. Each night the council would pass a resolution I’d send it immediately to the school district and ask for their comments and invited them to work with us etc. I’m a person that’s very hopeful and always of collaboration. I asked Senator Little to help facilitate that about a month ago and I thought we made headway. I actually thought we left that room all in agreement. But within hours it seemed to have blown up again. It baffles me. I don’t understand it. But it doesn’t deter me either. I’m always going to do what’s best for the taxpayers or local constituents.”
Ward 3 Democrat Elizabeth Gibbs represents the area of the city where the bridge is located. At the end of Thursday’s Common Council meeting she addressed the controversy and the school board’s decision. “When I was petitioning and campaigning I asked my constituents what their largest concerns were and overwhelmingly people wanted the footbridge to reopen. I voiced my support for the repair of the footbridge to the council even before I took office. I urged for timely responses to the district’s concerns. Going forward I hope we can still salvage what was mutually agreed upon and take eventual ownership of the bridge.”
Resident and bridge user Luke Cyphers is pleased the school board opted to move forward on its own. “They have taken ownership unfortunately literally of a problem that they didn’t create and came up with a solution. And I’m very disappointed in the mayor of Plattsburgh and members of the Common Council who seem to have put up obstacles to reopen this bridge.”
Wachtmeister says the dispute left several members of the school board doubting city government. “The political leadership of the city of Plattsburgh cannot be trusted. And I’m saying that to anybody who would enter into any negotiations with the city.”
The School Board is targeting completion of repairs and reopening of the footbridge in October.
