SALEM CITY COUNCIL

Council to consider idea for bridge between parks
Plan would link Riverfront Park to Minto-Brown Island

The effort to build a pedestrian bridge linking Minto-Brown Island Park with Riverfront Park could get a boost at Monday's Salem City Council meeting.
The citizen panel pursuing the bridge wants to apply for a $500,000 state grant to help build it. The council has been asked to provide $250,000 in matching funds to improve the chances of getting the grant.
Council President Jim Randall plans to argue for full support of the bridge.
"It is a key that unlocks one of the most incredible urban environments you can imagine," Randall said.
People in downtown Salem could use the bridge to access miles of paths in Minto-Brown Island Park, Randall said. And when the Salem Railroad Bridge is refurbished into a pedestrian bridge, people will be able to walk, jog or bike from Minto-Brown park all the way to West Salem, he said.
The estimated cost of the bridge is $2.5 million, according to the citizen group. About $300,000 of in-kind donations have been pledged, and $1.25 million in potential grants have been identified.
A host of groups has written to support the project, including the Salem Downtown Association, the Marion-Polk County Medical Society, the Eco-Earth Globe board, the Salem Audubon Society, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the Salem Convention & Visitors Association, and a number of downtown businesses.
"The downtown is positioned well for this bridge, with five bike shops, a running shop and 10 new artistic bike racks being constructed to add to the several already in front of businesses," Sylvia Dorney, owner of Greenbaum's Quilted Forest, wrote to the city council.