News!

BREAKING NEWS!!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!!

FOR IMMEADIATE RELEASE:

Date: January 1, 2008

Contact Person: Dan Roberts

Organization: Citizens for Rebuilding the Wimer Covered Bridge

Voice Phone Number: 541-973-7893

Email Address: chairperson@wimercoveredbridge.org

Phone Number:

New Year with a new Wimer Covered Bridge!

Wimer, OR – This small community will be starting off 2008 with a once in a lifetime event. On Wednesday, Jan. 2nd at 8:00 AM there will be a new structure across Evans Creek for the first time since the tragic collapse of the old covered bridge in June of 2003. For the last four weeks the construction teams of Timber Mountain Construction and Western Wood Structures have been busy assembling the new truss structures that will make up the new Wimer Covered Bridge. The scene in May Ellis Park next to the bridge site has had the appearance of some big kids putting together an extra large erector set made of timber and steel plates and bolts. All of this has made for a wonderful Christmas season in Wimer. These new truss structures which are 85 feet long by 17 feet high and weigh in excess of 19,000 pounds each will be picked up one at a time by a huge crane and flown into place. They will land in their new home between the new approaches that were completed late in 2007. This will mark another major milestone in the return of the historic Wimer Covered Bridge. Once these new trusses are secured, the crews will immediately begin connecting the two with many cross members to form the skeleton of the new covered bridge. The house of the new bridge will then be constructed from more than 30,000 board feet of timber that was donated, harvested, milled, processed and painted right in Evans Valley by the people of Evans Valley as part of their contribution to making the project possible.

The new Wimer Covered Bridge is scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2008. “While this is a great step forward in seeing the center of our community replaced it has also reinforced the fact that we are still raising funds to see this completed.” said Dan Roberts Chairperson of the citizens group. The group still needs close to $100,000 to fund the rest of the project. Roberts said “We actually exceeded the original goals that we were shooting for by providing close to $300,000 in cash and materials to rebuild the bridge but escalating costs created a gap in funding we still need to fill.” The group has been encouraged recently by a private donor who has pledged $30,000 towards meeting the goal if another donor is willing to match this gift. “We are confident there will be a partner in the community who sees this as the unique opportunity that it is to permanently be associated with a truly historic project that should be standing long into the next century.” said Roberts

The group is actively planning a grand opening celebration to take place in the spring of 2008. “The list of activities being considered is growing and we look forward to having all of Southern Oregon come share in the landmark accomplishment.” said Roberts

The bridge, listed as a National Historic Landmark, was originally built in 1892 and completely replaced in 1927. It had undergone numerous repairs and renovations since that time and was scheduled for more repairs just before it collapsed. The bridge was only one of four covered bridges remaining in Jackson County and the only one open to vehicular traffic. The new bridge will restore that unique aspect again once it is completed. For more information on the Wimer Bridge and how you can help, visit www.wimercoveredbridge.org.

Trusses for the new Wimer Covered Bridge ready to install

Permission to use photo granted. Credit Bob Phillips please.

FOR IMMEADIATE RELEASE:

Date: May 18, 2006

Contact Person: Mike Kuntz

Organization: Jackson County

Voice Phone Number:

Email Address: kuntzm@jacksoncounty.org

Phone Number:

Wimer Covered Bridge One Step Closer to Rebuild

Medford, OR – Jackson County received a $342,000 grant from Highway Bridge Repair or Replacement fund, a federal needs-based bridge replacement program, to rebuild the historic Wimer covered bridge that collapsed on July 6, 2003.

“This is wonderful news because it greatly reduces the amount of funds we need,” says Mike Kuntz, Jackson County Roads Engineer. “We still have a ways to go, however.”

The weight-restricted bridge collapsed nearly three years ago due to rot and too many overloaded vehicles crossing. Bystanders pulled a man and his two grandsons from the rubble. A year later a group called “Citizens for Rebuilding the Wimer Covered Bridge” formed to raise funds for the rebuilding the historic landmark.

Kuntz expects the cost of reconstruction to total around one million. The grant will be supplemented by funds from Jackson County and from the citizens group. The county has covered its share, but the citizens group still needs to raise half of it’s $334,000 portion. Dan Roberts, Chair of the nonprofit citizens group, says “We have been working nonstop to sell everything from t-shirts to cookbooks to art prints of the old bridge. We even collect timber from individuals and sell it to the timber mills.” On June 17, the group will host a “Taste of the Valley” event at the Laurel Hills Golf Course in Gold Hill to continue their fund-raising efforts.

The county expected to begin construction of the new bridge this year, but the timing of the grant pushed it back to 2007. “Everything didn’t quite come together in time.” says Kuntz. “We’ll advertise for bids this fall and get going on it next summer.”

Construction permits have been secured, and earlier this year, Kuntz unveiled drawings of the new bridge by a Corvallis engineering firm. The new bridge was designed based on the citizens’ desire to replicate the old bridge – a wooden timber truss bridge painted white with concrete approach spans. Like the old bridge, they want it open to vehicular traffic. The Wimer Bridge was the only covered bridge in Jackson County that allowed traffic.

The bridge, listed as a National Historic Landmark, was originally built in 1892 and completely replaced in 1927. It had undergone numerous repairs and renovations since that time and was scheduled for more repairs just before it collapsed. The bridge was only one of four covered bridges remaining in Jackson County. For more information on the Wimer Bridge and how you can help, visit www.wimercoveredbridge.org.

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The Citizens for Rebuilding the Wimer Covered Bridge would like to thank the Jackson County Commissioners, C.W. Smith, Jack Walker, Dave Gilmour and their hard working staff for being so supportive of our efforts and working with us to help find a solution to this challenge. Thank you all for such a great surprise! With all the hard work the community has put into this effort, it is clear that this has truly been a team effort to reach this point!

A special thank you to Mike Kuntz and Dale Petrasek, your assistance and service to the community has been invaluable and is deeply appreciated!

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MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Date: May 19, 2006

Contact: Dan Roberts, Citizens for Rebuilding the Wimer Covered Bridge,

Email Address: chairperson@wimercoveredbridge.org

Research: Images and background available at www.wimercoveredbridge.org

Wimer Citizens Will See Bridge Rebuilt

Wimer, OR- One local nonprofit group may have to change their name. And they

couldn't be more delighted.

Citizens for Rebuilding the Wimer Covered Bridge received the news today

that Jackson County has secured a grant for $342,000, almost the exact

amount they needed to reconstruct the historic landmark that collapsed in

July of 2003, only months before it was scheduled for renovation.

“This is a story about people more than it is about a structure,” explains

Dan Roberts, Chair. “The bridge defined Wimer as a community. We have

watched loved ones married and memorialized on it. Some of those working on

the project first crossed the bridge in horse-drawn wagons and remember the

first cars driving through it. Its void has left us feeling disconnected without it.”

In its long life the bridge has been renovated and repaired numerous times.

The original was built in 1892 by J. W. Osbourne. In 1927 it was replaced

for the first time. In 1962 a citizen effort saved the bridge from

destruction.

Since its collapse this sleepy community has been literally divided without

the bridge. The bridge site has been left sadly idle with blackberry

branches crawling over the remaining timbers and hazard signs telling

visitors to stay away. The people of Wimer just wouldn't have it. A small

group of motivated neighbors came together, meeting monthly at the Grange

Hall on weekday evenings where everyone did whatever they could to rebuild.

Bridge t-shirts, calendars and recipe books were sold. The Wimer Market sold

Italian charms at the counter. A website was launched and a model covered

bridge trailer was built to show off at parades. As awareness grew little

amounts gave way to large amounts in the form of donated timber.

Slowly and surely this plucky group of citizens incited community action and

raised over $150,000 in the last 22 months. Before the grant was awarded the

group was close to %50 of the way to their goal to reconstruct the covered

bridge and create an interpretive center at Mae Ellis Park on the bank of

the Evans Creek.

“We are very excited by the news of these additional funds coming into the

project. In a project like this there are always some surprises, and this

has to be one of the best. I think this shows a great example of how a

combined effort between public and private interests can accomplish a great

deal working together. The committee is thrilled to find that Jackson

County has been working so hard to make this project a success too,” said

Roberts.

“While this is great news, the other side of the Wimer bridge saga is the

cost of reconstruction, which has continued to rise at alarming rates. We

need to continue our efforts to make sure we have enough funding when the

bidding process starts, so we can’t let up now. Our role in fundraising is

still very important. We will have a very busy summer continuing our

fundraising plans,” said Roberts.

“Even though we couldn’t be happier the bridge will be rebuilt, there will

always be a need for a group like us to care for the bridge. We hope that

the grandsons and granddaughters of today will come back to walk across the

bridge with their own grandchildren. It will be up to them to see it through the next decades and perhaps even put it back on the National

The group is hosting “A Taste of the Valley” celebration, a wine and gourmet

food tasting event on June 17th from 2:00- 5:30pm at Laurel Hill Golf Course

in Gold Hill. Hundreds of items will be up for silent and live auction.

Tickets are $10 for 3 wine tastings, and $25 for unlimited tasting. Event

sponsors include: Umpqua Bank, Bayless Realty, Rogue River Realty, Bradley

Realty, Century 21 Realty, First American Title and Diane Dexter. The funds

raised will help complete a park and interpretive center on the bank of

Evans Creek below the new bridge, and will honor the collective effort of

the Wimer community.

Visit www.wimercoveredbridge.org to learn more about the effort to rebuild

the only covered bridge in Jackson County that you will be able to drive

across again someday soon.

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It has been an action packed summer! We are compiling new stories about all we have been doing. Check back often for the latest updates.

Memory Brick Orders are coming in!

Our Brick Project is gaining momentum and will be a large part of our fund raising success! They have become very popular as holiday gifts, perfect for that someone special who only thought they had everything!

With such great community interest in seeing the bridge rebuilt it was important to us that we provide everybody the opportunity to be a lasting part of the effort. So many of us have a rich history in our families with stories about the bridge and events that happened there. We wanted to offer a way to bring that history out for all to enjoy and remember. So we decided to have a memory brick project that would provide a way to remember those from the past who helped connect us with the bridge. It would also be a great way to honor those who are supporting our efforts today and have this be a lasting tribute to them for generations to come. We have heard from many people who always visited the bridge anytime they were passing through the area and they too wanted a way to be a part of the project. Just think of the history lessons that could be taught walking along a winding pathway through Mae Ellis park and along Evans Creek. This path will be right next to the bridge offering a great view looking up at the new covered bridge and will be paved with memory bricks. Each brick will bear the name of someone who helped make the new covered bridge a reality.

We are offering 3 different donation levels for the bricks.

The first level is a 4" x 8" brick with a 2" x 4 1/2" bronze plaque that will be embedded into the brick. The plaque has room for 3 rows of text each containing up to 18 spaces. Each line of text will be centered on the plaque based on the spaces used. The minimum donation for a 4" x 8" brick is $50.00.

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Download a 4x8 Brick Order Form (click here)

The second level is a 8" x 8" brick with a 4" diameter, round bronze plaque. This larger brick and plaque will allow for up to 7 rows of text with up to 254 total spaces. Each line of text will be centered on the plaque base on the spaces used. The minimum donation for the 8" x 8" brick is $75.00.

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Download a 8x8 Brick Order Form (click here)

The third level is the same size brick as in the first level but there will be a group of 4 individual 4" x 8" bricks each with their own plaque, all grouped together. This is the perfect solution for the group or family that may want to have all their bricks in one area or may need the space of 4 plaques total. This also gives a group or family a way to secure all 4 bricks being located together even though they may only want to install one or two plaques today. The remaining plaques can be engraved and installed at sometime in the future. The minimum donation for a group or family set of 4 bricks is $200.00.

In addition to the minimum donation for each level described above, a stock graphic symbol shown on the order form can be added to any brick for an additional $10.00 charge. We also have the ability to place your custom company logo or graphic image on any one of the bricks. These custom graphics will be quoted on an individual basis. Please note that the use of graphics on any brick will reduce the overall number of spaces available for text.

After opening the order form, please download and save the form. To place an order, please print the form out, fill in the required information and mail it to the address listed. You can send a check with your order or go to our online store and make payment with your credit card. Go to Online Store Now by clicking here! We will confirm your order and the text to be used along with any graphics.

Timber Donation - Logging Update - KDRV Channel 12's Ron Brown covers a day of logging

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When the covered bridge collapsed, a common thread among those in the local community was that we have our own timber and resources to rebuild it just as it was. This certainly confirms the same hearty pioneer spirit of those who built the original covered bridge still exists today but we knew we had to channel that desire in a different direction. A key part of our plan is the utilization of timber from the area donated to our committee. We are able to use marketable pine, fir or cedar for our purposes. We have heard from people with 2 or 3 trees they want to remove as well those with many acres that they need to thin. We have gotten a very positive response from the community so far with over 70 land owners wanting to donate some of their timber. We are then selling this timber and using the funds to offset the construction costs of the bridge. While we would like to build the bridge from our donated trees, the specifications require that engineered laminated beams must be used. It would not be practical to try and control that manufacturing process to only use our timber. In an effort to keep the new bridge as authentic as possible, we are looking for quality sugar pines that we can process locally on the same type mills as the original bridge. We will be able to use these rough sawn boards for all of the siding on the new covered bridge.

We have been very fortunate to have some highly skilled timber professionals helping us with this part of the project. We would not be able to make use of these resources without their help. When you contact us with possible trees to donate, you will be in touch with Scott Purrier who has headed up our timber program. Scott has many years of logging experience and has been very willing to use those skills not only in the field but also on the administrative end. Scott has been the one who sees to it that all the proper permits are in place. This can sometimes take several weeks to process as you might imagine. Once all the paperwork is in place, Scott also coordinates all the professionals that are working with us depending on what the job requires.

Zeb Wardle of Zeb's Tree Service has been a primary resource for falling the trees we have harvested so far. Zeb's skills have enabled us to take some trees that were a real challenge but yielded great rewards for the project. Watching him work makes you appreciate just how difficult that job is considering the risk involved. We are very grateful for the service Zeb has provided. If you need trees removed and they will not work out for the bridge project, we would highly recommend contacting Zeb directly at (541) 582-2500.

Zeb Wardle, on the left and Scott Purrier

Zeb sawing away

Mr. Garza and Zeb discuss the next tree to come down.

The tree is down just where it was supposed to be!

Some wonderful pine trees that were insect damaged.

Zeb assesses the situation, yes these were really tall trees.

Falling another one of many, with Ron Brown taping the event.

Tree down safely, just where it was supposed to be.

Skidding the logs to the log deck.

Just a few of the many quality logs ready for the mill!

Ron Brown of KDRV Channel 12, the Medford ABC affiliate was on hand for one day of the project shown above. Ron was able to produce a very nice segment on the evening news the next night. We really appreciate his continued interest and coverage of our project. We look forward to being able to provide Ron with many more stories as we make more progress towards getting the bridge back.

We have permitted, harvested and processed close to 18 loads of quality timber to date. This only represents 11 of the 70 land owners who have contacted us. There are many more properties that are in the permitting and staging process at this time. With winter conditions setting in, we are busy making plans for the spring of 2006. Even though we are eager to complete our fund raising, we are also wanting to be responsible stewards of the resources we have been given so harvesting will slow at this time of year to protect the land. Each case is unique so there may be some that we can do during the winter. If you are a property owner who may consider donating timber to our committee please contact me at chairperson@wimercoveredbridge.org. We can accomplish most of the paperwork even though we might have to wait for better weather for harvest.

We are a registered non-profit 501c3 organization which would make the value of the timber a tax deductible donation. We are working with a number of area mills to evaluate the timber and assess the value that it may hold. They have been extremely helpful in keeping us aware of current market prices and trends.

Rooster Crow & Parade

Rooster Crow 2005 marked a milestone for the Citizens for Rebuilding the Wimer Covered Bridge. It was one year ago that we held our first ever fund raising event by attending the Rooster Crow 2004. We enjoyed a great reception last year and it was even better this year. It was another beautiful two days in Rogue River for this years festivities. Our efforts kicked off Saturday morning with the debut of the newly completed Wimer Covered Bridge (jr.) as a float in the parade. The pride in craftsmanship that built the replica bridge made a great statement about this communities dedication to getting the new covered bridge built. The parade was another great success with a huge list of participants. The presentation of the flag brought everyone to their feet. Miss Rogue River Mahlea Rasmussen and her court along with the Rooster Crow mascot followed. Miss Rogue River has been wonderful in supporting our project this year and we thank her for her support. Just before the arrival of our new float we all enjoyed the treat of seeing the classic 46 Ford being driven by Gary and Joan Knoeppel. With Joan also being our secretary we just could not pass up sharing their classic ride with you too! Maybe we can talk Gary into pulling the float next year? That would be a sure fire first place ribbon!

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The sharp looking Wimer Covered Bridge (jr.) finally reached our location. It sure looked good rolling through the streets of Rogue River! Just a glimpse of what is to come when the new bridge is completed. We look forward to having our replica bridge at many other events in the coming months. Watch for us at a location near you. It will be fully stocked with all of our fund raising merchandise. The crowd along the parade route was rumored to have gotten a little rowdy when the kids riding in the float tossed a few covered bridge tee-shirts out along the way. We were happy to see the intense interest and also glad that we did not hear of any serious injuries! We hope all those wanting shirts stopped by the booth as we had plenty more for everyone.

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After the parade was over the huge crowd enjoyed visiting the many vendors with their goods on display. It was great to see how many stopped by our booth and checked out all of the new items we had to offer. Once again it was encouraging to visit with the community and hear all the supportive comments about the project. Even better than the comments were the sales for the day. We would like to thank all who stopped by and picked up new items this year and continued to help make progress towards our goal.

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Wimer Covered Bridge (jr.) Replica/Float Completed, built by volunteers in 3 days!

With the positive response to our participation in the 2004 Rooster Crow parade with a borrowed covered bridge float from the nice folks in Eagle Point, we just knew we had to build our own for 2005. All it took was the word "Go" from the committee that we needed this replica bridge to support the project.

It all started with Rob Wagner. He is a great guy who is a friend to everybody, even those of you that have not met him yet! Rob is always one to step up and help you out any way he can. It is also great that he knows everybody! All you have to do is let Rob know what you need and somehow he just puts all the right people in place to make it happen. He sure came through for us on this part of the project. When we said we needed a really solid trailer base as the platform to build on, he brought Steve Roberts into the picture. Steve had an old farm trailer that he did not need anymore. At least that is what Rob tells us? It was perfect and he donated it to the group. Thanks Steve for your support! We will make good use of the old trailer.

Once the frame arrived, we found that we needed to make some small adjustments and changes to be just what we could use. Rob took a look at the situation and knew just who to call. He contacted Gary Branson who provided us with the welding and metal working skills to make the changes. Thanks Gary for helping to build us a great foundation. (This thing tows just great with your help!)

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Day One, Morning, Construction Starts!

Now that we had the foundation ready, we needed a design. We wanted it as close to the original Wimer Covered Bridge as it could be but we also had ideas to use the replica for things other than just a float in parades. Bev Nolan from the Wimer Family Market headed up this phase of the task. She knew just the guy with the skills to take care of this. Bev called on Larry Johnson and told him what we needed. Larry took all the requests into consideration and came up with a design to fit our platform and all the uses we dreamed up. He thought this was a neat idea and even made the design strong enough we could pull this down the freeway at speed! How's that for solid? It withstands self induced hurricane force winds and still looks great. When we had a list of materials required Scott Purrier came through with the flooring required as well as a number of other items. One of the main suppliers who helped out a great deal was the nice folks at Main Building Supply in Rogue River. They donated a great deal of the material to make this happen. Thank you Main Building Supply! Gary Lowe also was involved and was able to bring all the 2x4's we needed. Thanks Gary!

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Day One, Afternoon, Framing is almost complete!

As the word spread throughout the community the response was fantastic. All we had to do was ask and the skilled craftsman were on the way. They not only wanted to help but they used their skills to make sure this structure was first class. With all that we had planned for the replica bridge, they wanted to be sure everyone who saw it knew how serious we were about doing things the right way. When you see it, you will understand the commitment and dedication of those representing their home town. Daryl of Daryl Oberacker Construction came on board and brought his skills as well as those who work on his crew. Thanks Daryl for a great job! Daryl and Eric Johnson also brought their talents to the construction project and had to make sure everything they did was perfect.

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Day Two, Roofing and Painting are underway!

With a great framing job all complete, Mike Francis of Lawless Roofing in Grants Pass took charge of putting on the cedar shake shingles. He did a great job with the roofing and it looks fantastic! Having used the replica bridge at several events already we can verify the roof is very water tight! John Frey was next to step up and volunteer his skills with painting. He too did a great job putting the finishing touches on the structure. He even made sure everything inside was painted and looked great too! With this great looking bridge it was clear we need to recreate the original signs as icing on the cake. Stuart Johnson was just the man to take care of that for us. He jumped right in and created exact replicas as close as he could to what was on the bridge when it collapsed. This included a small version of the big round pine slab with "1892" carved into it. Thanks Stuart for the hard work.

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Day Three! We have a replica Wimer Covered Bridge!

With most things complete Galen Kellm, Brian Lasky and Ken Heywood wrapped things up for us. Galen actually was around for every stage of the project and helped out in many ways. He brought a number of skills to the team as well as a great spirit of getting things done! Brian was a super help also and we greatly appreciate his willingness to spend his time volunteering. Ken also brought a lot of support to help finalize everything. It is amazing to find the resources your surrounded by when you let it be known you need help. Galen and Ken made sure the wiring was all in order. The lights work great just as they should and all we do is plug them in! Thanks Galen and Ken for a super job. Ken also is our dedicated tire specialist. When we got a new set of tires with help from Les Schwab Tire Center in Medford, Ken was the guy who took care of getting them changed out and all set to go.

The only change we really made was to allow for the side windows that were not on the actual bridge. This was allowed for a very good reason. With the primary purpose to use this as a float for parades. We plan on getting to every one that we can to spread the word about our project. Turns out it will make a great booth to sell our items at all kinds of events.

Thanks again to all the busy professionals who took time out of their busy schedules to make this happen. They not only sacrificed their time but it was also during the week when they could have been making money, instead they chose to put this project as a priority. In fact many of these folks are busy taking care of business and are not always present at all of our activities but that does not mean they are not a vital part of the team. Our committee wants thank all of you for your dedication and support. The end result is a combination parade float and traveling booth that makes a great statement about our community. We could not have done it without you. Thanks for a great job!

New Shirts and Hats are here!

With the popularity of our first attempt at marketing shirts we expanded our line this year to cover more colors and styles. We have added light gray (ash) and dark gray (charcoal) tee-shirts. We also have added gray and black sweatshirts in crew neck, hooded pull over and hooded zip up models. The screen print items were very nice but we wanted to provide another option that was even more stylish so we now offer a very nice cotton polo shirt with an embroidered logo. These look great for any occasion from the office to the golf course. With a full compliment of shirts and sweatshirts we had a number of requests for some kind of hats. We now have a number of baseball caps in a variety of colors. They all have the same quality embroidered image as our polo shirts and have been very popular since they arrived. The highlight of the hat selection is the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) hat. These are the same high quality hats you find in many major department stores and online outdoor equipment suppliers. They provide a protective cape off the back of the hat to cover your neck while fishing for some of the local salmon and steelhead or maybe horseback riding on the many trails. Stop in our online store today and take a look, we have something for everyone and all proceeds go directly to funding our rebuilding efforts. Go to Online Store Now by clicking here!

Looking for news items from the past? Check the archives.

Visit the News Archives at the Archive page (click here).