Priest Ford Bridge - Restoration & Adaptive Reuse Plan

That was over a decade ago. In the time since, the only safety upgrades made to the bridge have been caution tape and warning signs. This past summer, family members of the applicant were rafting the river and personally witnessed people jumping and swinging off the bridge — the exact hazard raised in 2016 remains unaddressed a decade later.

Respectfully, the applicant notes that the bridge is supposed to be inspected every two years, and to the applicant's knowledge it has not been inspected since 2022.

The applicant has been in direct contact with former County Engineer Angie Moyer and current County Engineer Dean Thomas since January 2024 regarding the condition and future of the bridge.

Phase Overview

Phase	Focus	Target Timeline
1	Safety, Inspection, Legal Transfer & Entity Formation	Months 1 – 6
2	Permanent Gates & Private Financing	Months 7 – 12
3	Venue Build-Out (Enclosures, Sound, Event Equipment)	Months 13 – 20
4	Public Access, Nonprofit Giving & Local Business Partnerships	Months 18 – 24 (overlaps Phase 3)
5	Ongoing Adaptation, Weatherproofing & Operational Expansion	Month 24 and ongoing

PHASE 1 Safety, Inspection, Legal Transfer & Entity Formation

GOAL Stop the immediate safety risk, get the bridge legally and structurally squared away, and stand up the business entity that will hold responsibility for everything that follows.