?Swingers? unite to save bridge

The Jefferson County Conservation Board is encouraging residents to ?Join the Jefferson County Park ?Swingers?? in a fundraising effort to replace the park?s swinging bridge.

Installed in 1986, the swinging bridge spans a shallow ravine on a hilly trail, linking a playground in the Jefferson County Park campground to a playground near the original shelter houses on the hilltop.

According to Dennis Lewiston, park director then and now, the bridge was well received and continues to be heavily used. It has, however, been determined that for safety, the bridge must be replaced. The estimated cost is $10,000.

?If you haven?t personally experienced crossing the swinging bridge located within Jefferson County Park, chances are your child, grandchild or the child next door has,? said Kathy Tollenaere, member of the conservation board.

During high-use seasons, park naturalist Therese Cummiskey leads ?approximately 3,000 children over the park trails, often using the swinging bridge.?

Installation of the original bridge was spearheaded by park employee Ebb Camelin, who was first hired as a Green Thumb worker in the early 1980s. Upon being hired full time, Camelin modeled the swinging bridge after one built between Third and Fourth streets in Columbus Junction.

Lewiston anticipates bridge replacement to begin in 2012. During construction, the trail will remain open and in use, as there is an alternate, permanently installed footbridge just below the site of the swinging bridge.

Anyone making a $25 donation toward the bridge?s replacement is eligible to receive a T-shirt declaring, ?Join the Jefferson County Park ?Swingers?! I did!? All donations will be completely tax deductible, and donors will receive a telephone call notifying them of when T-shirts, as printed, are available for pick up at the Jefferson County Park Nature Center.

The Jefferson County Conservation Board also is reaching out to local clubs and organizations to support the fundraising campaign by helping cover the cost of purchasing and printing the T-shirts. The Fairfield Kiwanis Club has already made a sizeable contribution.

Any other club or organization interested in more information or a program given by a conservation board representative may call Tollenaere at 472-9479 or Lewiston at 472-4421.

T-shirts and donation forms are now on display in the Jefferson County Courthouse lobby, Jefferson County Health Center, Jefferson County Park Nature Center and Curves. The Fairfield Public Library also will have a display through December.