Politics & Government

Basilica Wins Vote for Preservation Funds; Waterford Iron Bridge Still in Running for Money

The Minneapolis landmark church was the top vote-getter in Partners in Preservation's Facebook voting.

The Basilica of St. Mary in downtown Minneapolis gained the most votes in a competition for preservation funds, the organization Partners in Preservation announced on Facebook Thursday afternoon.

Facebook was also where voting by the public took place. Within 15 minutes, 70 people had "liked" the announcement, while 14 comments expressed mostly disappointment about the winner.

With the win, the Basilica will receive the $100,000 it requested. The maximum the 25 sites in the competition could request was $125,000.

Find out what's happening in Northfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Waterford Iron Bridge, closed to vehicle traffic since 2009, was for $125,000 of $1 million that Partners in Preservation intends to grant to Twin Cities historic sites for rehab work.

The bridge, maintained by Waterford Township, was built in 1909. It is still used as a pedestrian bridge and wasn't damaged by last year's flood. The hope is to update the bridge so it can be used as a pedestrian and bike trail for years to come, connecting with area trails.

Find out what's happening in Northfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The remaining funds will go to other sites in the competition.

Janalee Cooper, who is part of the local effort for the Waterford Iron Bridge, said the group will find out on Nov. 12 how the remaining money is disbursed.

Liz Messner, a Waterford Township supervisor who wrote the grant request, asked for the maximum $125,000 to replace the bridge deck and a cracked abutment. Each site, regardless of voting, is guaranteed $5,000.

The project with the largest percentage of vote total increase between last week and Wednesday will receive an additional $5,000.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Northfield