Owens Corning has agreed to contribute $20,000 toward the $125,000 needed to renovate the 1920s bridge with unique trusses outside the firm's downtown Toledo headquarters.
After the city decided to renovate the historic Swan Creek span with money from its capital improvements budget, Owens Corning -- which maintains the city's Boeschenstein Park near the bridge -- opted to donate $20,000 to the cause, company spokesman Matt Schroder said.
"It's good that we're able to partner together to get this done," Mr. Schroder said.
The arrangement came about after Toledo City Councilman Tom Waniewski questioned administration about whether the city had asked OC to help pay for the Washington Street bridge's renovations and was told no one had. Mr. Waniewski called a contact at the firm, and soon after city council approved the capital budget, a donation was made, he said.
"They're great community people," Mr. Waniewski said of OC. "If you don't ask, you won't know."
Built in 1920 by the Toledo Bridge and Crane Co., the structure had provided access to the railroad dock yards on the Middlegrounds where OC's world headquarters now stands. A lift had allowed barges and small boats to travel up Swan Creek, but the bridge's deck and railing were rebuilt in the 1990s.
Earlier this year, the city asked the Toledo City Historic Districts Commission whether it could remove the older, upper portion of the bridge because it had become an eyesore and costly to maintain.
OC wanted the top portion removed, but the commission did not, so the city decided to use money from capital improvements for maintenance, said Tom Crothers, Toledo deputy mayor for external relations.
The company's preference from the start was to renovate the bridge, said Mr. Schroder, the Owens Corning spokesman.
Mr. Crothers said the bridge will be cleaned and repainted this year. Some other minor work might need to be done on concrete around the structure, he said.
"For several years, it has not been maintained," Mr. Crothers said.
He added: "Structurally, it's fine."
Contact Julie M. McKinnon at: jmckinnon@theblade.com or 419-724-6087.
First Published April 12, 2012, 4:44 a.m.
