The Mower County board is willing to replace the Oakland Place Southeast bridge to meet Vision 2020’s new guidelines to beautify bridges through Austin; however, the board may be leaning toward seeking help to pay for the extras.

Earlier this week, the county board discussed the possibility of seeking Hormel Foundation dollars to fund the bridge’s special design, landscaping, brickwork and wider sidewalks called for through the Vision 2020 Visual Quality Manual, which is the Gateway to Austin Committee’s plan to beautify bridges on key roads in Austin.

“I think it should be up to the I-90 corridor group,” Commissioner Tony Bennett said. “If they want the bells and whistles, then they need to come up with the funding.”

“Otherwise I think it’s going to be a more simple project,” Bennett added.

Plans are moving ahead to replace the Oakland Place Southeast bridge, a bridge that’s been targeted for replacement for a few years, is deemed deficient and was built in 1932.

There’s some good news for the project: $1.74 million in state bond funds have been reserved for 2016 when the work may move forward, and the county has $250,000 set aside for the project. However, the county is facing a funding gap for the project, as it had asked for $2 million from the state.

“It’s my hope we can close that gap,” Public Works Director Mike Hanson said. “How we close that gap at this point may or may not involve Vision 2020, Hormel Foundation.”

The $2.7 million plan submitted for state review includes the Vision 2020 Visual Quality Manual “bells and whistles,” as the county board called them. However, commissioners indicated they may move ahead with reconstructing the bridge as a traditional structure without funding help.

The board members were initially hesitant to pay for extras, as it’s still early in the process. Public Works doesn’t yet have an exact estimate for the what the Vision 2020 requests would cost on the project.

Then the finance committee will discuss and review the project once cost estimates are determined. The committee will then make a recommendation to the full board as to whether to seek outside funding, scale back the project to meet the county’s 2016 budget or to add additional county funds to complete the project. Further discussion with the full board and a vote would likely follow.

Bennett wasn’t the only commissioner initially hesitant. Commissioner Tim Gabrielson agreed that the board is already contributing money to cover its costs for the bridge project and that the requested extras should be paid through Vision 2020 or The Hormel Foundation.

“Any of the over/above costs from that would have to come from special interests,” he said.

The board discussed going to Vision 2020 to discuss possible funding sources and a possible Hormel Foundation request.

Commissioner Polly Glynn noted the board is only seeking Foundation dollars to cover the Vision 2020 requests and not the county’s fund or the remaining shortfall for general bridge costs. Those, like another project, would be covered through taxes or other county fund sources.

However, County Coordinator Craig Oscarson hinted there may be a request beyond the betterment costs.

Even without the extras requested by Vision 2020, Hanson noted the county could still have to fund part of the shortfall.

“You’re going to be faced with a shortfall either way, whether the bridge is a basic bridge design or a bells and whistles bridge design,” Hanson said.

Hanson said he’d like to partner with all the groups to make the project successful, since the county has already secured $2 million through the state and it’s own $250,000 contribution.

“The other two parties hopefully will be able to come forward and say, ‘Yes, this is a good project,’” Hanson said.

However, Hanson noted funds from the various groups involved and the plans for the project are both still “in flux.”

The county currently handles all the bridge replacements in the county and the city of Austin based on a more than 100-year-old agreement, but the city of Austin is partnering on the project because repairs will also be made on the approaches and a section of road leading to the bridge.

Thus far, Vision 2020 committees, former City Engineer Jon Erichson and Austin Public Works Director Steven Lang have offered input to the planning phase.

The Oakland bridge spans Dobbins Creek on the southern end of East Side Lake.

Hanson also warned the board there are two more bridges, both built in 1932, that will also need to be replaced in the future.