DuBOIS — The railings on the wooden bridge located over McCracken Road on the paved side of the Beaver Meadow Walkway in DuBois were rotting away.
The floor was soft and spongy and could possibly break with too much weight. But all that changed this weekend when DuBois Area Jaycee volunteers replaced the floor, railing and painted the wooden bridge on the heavily used DuBois Walkway, with help from the City of DuBois.
“The main thing is that we want to give something back to the community,” said Neil Hanes of the Jaycees. “We are a non-profit and we are always in people’s pockets and this is just our way of giving back to the community.”
The project had been on Hanes’ mind ever since he was president of the Jaycees. “It was always on my radar, and I was just consumed with our other events and I never got around to it,” Hanes said. “Since I don’t have that many responsibilities this year with Jaycees and since I have time, I thought I would start it.” Hanes said he noticed last year that the bridge, which was constructed in 1978 according to a sign underneath it, was really deteriorating.
“I always walk on there, and I’m always jogging,” Hanes said. “I look at the pool and the pavilion we (Jaycee’s) built back in the day. We all just got together and decided that this generation wants to leave something to the community and this is our way to do that.”
The Jaycee’s voted and decided to do the project this year. And then they went to a city council meeting and got the project approved. They also received donations from area businesses — all the lumber from Lowe’s as well as some hardware, paint from Walmart, and paint and other supplies from Kohlhepp’s True Value.
The DuBois Business College donated a cast aluminum plaque and “the labor, which is priceless,” Hanes said.
Buck’s Pizza donated pizza for the workers on Saturday as well.
“It’s been a long undertaking,” Hanes said.
But with several volunteers from the Jaycee’s and the help from the city workers, the bridge is now safer and more eye-appealing for the faithful walkers and runners to enjoy.