GRANT BOOSTS BRIDGE RESTORATION EFFORTS

OLD APPLETON -- The Old Appleton Bridge Committee will receive a $3,000 grant from Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. this month.

"We're real excited about the grant," said Jan Dellamano of Cape Girardeau, who heads the bridge committee. "The funds will go into the general fund to help with the restoration of the bridge."

The bridge was destroyed more than eight years ago, on Dec. 3, 1982, when record flood waters in Apple Creek washed out the 103-year-old span.

A volunteer committee was formed to restore the bridge one of the last Pratt truss models in Missouri with the goal to use as many of the bridge's original parts as possible.

"We have enough money now to complete the actual repair of the bridge," said Dellamano. "But we'll need other funds to set the bridge across the creek, do some flood control work, and additional site work."

The committee will receive the $3,000, called an Economic Excellence Program development grant, from Southwestern Bell during the Missouri Community Betterment Conference Oct. 20 in Columbia, said Craig Felzien, area manager of Southwestern Bell.

"The grant will be the first of Southwestern Bell's new Economic Excellence Program," said Randy Barron, president of the Missouri Division of Southwestern Bell. "The program is designed to promote job growth and economic opportunity within the state. Judging from the responses and high caliber of requests we've received, we hope the program can continue."

The new Southwestern Bell program gives government agencies and their partners an opportunity to compete for $100,000 in the economic development funds, said Barron.

A total of 77 applications requesting a total of $530,00 were received by Southwestern Bell from around the state. Projects were selected only if they were in areas served by the company.

"Projects were judged on their potential to create, expand, or retain jobs and revenues in Missouri, and on their innovative approach," said Felzien.

Dellamano said work on the Appleton bridge had hit a slowdown recently because of a delay in receiving some fabricated parts, and because a crane was needed for help in the restoration work.

"We recently purchased a small crane, which permitted us to continue with the assembly work," he said. "But we'll need the use of some larger equipment in the future," he explained.