Lake Darling pedestrian bridge open for foot traffic

BRIGHTON - Despite the blustery day, it was a celebration at Lake Darling State Park for the ribbon cutting of a 140-foot pedestrian bridge that connects one side of the lake to the other.

Members of Friends of Lake Darling, Ambassadors of the Washington Chamber of Commerce, the Brighton Chamber of Commerce and supporters of the park turned up in full force for the ribbon cutting and to ceremonially cross the bridge for the first time.

'That bridge has been a vision for a while, to have a bridge like that that connects both sides of the lake and gives people the chance to see parts of the park they might not have,” park ranger Zachary Haworth said.

'Our goal is to promote this place through tourism,” said Fred Stark, a chamber ambassador. 'It's a great part of our county. This has grown from nothing to a tourist destination.”

The bridge was built thanks to a $200,000 grant from Jerry B. Robinson, of Englewood, Colo. Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) funds covered the cost of building approaches up to the bridge as part of a statewide 2020 vision for the 100th anniversary of Iowa State Parks.

Robinson has donated a $100,000 match grant to build the Four Seasons Lodge at Lake Darling State Park. It was dedicated in 2008. Six Four Seasons handicap accessible cabins were also made possible by Robinson, who donated a $50,000 match grant for the project. The cabins were opened in the fall of 2017.

Robinson's love for Lake Darling State Park originates from his childhood growing up in Richland. His father would take fuel to the bulldozers building the first dam in Lake Darling.

In wind speeds of 20 mph, the group walked five minutes from Cottonwood Shelter to the foot of the bridge for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Although the blue sky was cloudless, the wind whipped white waves in the lake as the group made their way along a paved trail, which turned to gravel when approaching the bridge.

In her dedication to the bridge, Dr. Fay Vittetoe, a Friends of Lake Darling board member, thanked the farming community for the water quality at Lake Geode. 'It's a good reflection of the quality of farmers in your community,” she said during the dedication ceremony.

While the bridge was an accomplishment for Friends of Lake Darling, there are more dreams ahead, Vittetoe said.

'Friends of Lake Darling's mission statement is to make a great park extra ordinary,” Vittetoe said, adding that the group has a plan to make the park even more handicap accessible in the future.

'I can't thank Friends enough for all they do for this place,” Haworth said. 'It would be half of what it is without them.”

Lake Darling State Park has 1.25 miles of paved trail, and a total of 14 miles of trail altogether, including gravel and grassy trails throughout the park. The park is closing on the busiest year the lake has ever seen, Haworth said.