Dear editor,

Why I recommend Option E for the S-Bridge replacement:

From its beginning, the Town of Hertford’s very existence was successfully ensured by commercial activities linked to the Perquimans River. Lumber and agricultural products were shipped to and fro by water for processing in town. Oil storage depots were serviced by water craft. These and related industries such as warehousing and boat repair kept many people gainfully employed and brought people and cash into town on a daily basis. As our dependence on the river declined, so did our town. Today, our waterway provides very little commercial value to people in town.

The Town has enlisted help from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School (http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/), among the best business minds in our state, and has come to the conclusion that waterfront development in the form of a marina would bring a stream of revenue back into downtown Hertford. Extending beyond dockage fees, income would include wages to local workers engaged in boat sales, repair, storage and maintenance; waterside hotel and condominium building, usage and rental; waterside eateries, boating supply sales, including fuel, fishing equipment and entertainment.

Obviously, additional specialty retails outlets can be envisioned. This plan includes 20 to 30 foot docks that bring large pleasure crafts and their owners to our town. The Kenan-Flagler School estimated approximately 150 environmentally green boat slips along our overlooked waterfront. This would attract folks that would also buy ice cream and plenty of other items from Woodard’s Pharmacy, Jane’s Hertfordshire Antiques and eat at the Twysted Turtle or the Carriage House.

There is a strong emotional desire among just about all local residents to somehow save the historic S-Bridge as-is. This 1928 vintage bridge brings many tourists to simply take a picture. There are a lot of “save our bridge, save our town” signs on storefront windows. The town or county has no sign identifying the span or its historic nature. The bridge opens often on summer weekends and oftentimes impatient motorists reverse direction and speed off to go via the bypass.

If a marina ever gets going and we are as successful as the best minds have projected, then the current or any future bridge opening and closing becomes a bit of an obstacle to both motorists and boaters waiting patiently, or impatiently, for the other to pass. The very people who we are trying to attract will be told to sit and wait in ever increasing numbers. Because of this, we need to be sure that we preserve the one unique thing that can be a future economic engine to bring people and revenue to downtown-the waterside development-recommended by the Kenan-Flagler Business School and our own town leaders. Of the replacement of the S-Bridge proposals, only Option E-taking the path to Edenton Road Street-allows the current S-Bridge to remain as a historic monument and tourist attraction. The bridge would remain in the open position, allowing free flow of boat traffic. Any boat traffic going up river would easily pass under a 33-foot high path that would take vehicle traffic into the center of town. This would allow drivers a fine and enticing view of our future and town-saving waterfront development and allow an expanded downtown area. This free flow of traffic up river may be an eventual boon to Winfall as well.

It’s not often that we can have our cake and eat it too. Option E allows us to not only keep the S-Bridge, not impact the Historic District, and protect our future waterside development, thus encouraging a brighter job-creating future. The Option E is the second least expensive choice and does not include additional savings to the state (our taxes) by eliminating the cost of the current bridge removal. Option E also allows construction of a new bridge to occur without completely shutting down the current path into town for a two to four year period. That ought to give our town leaders some time to get the waterfront development well under way.

FRANK JAKLIC

Hertford