This Sept. 14 file photo shows the Siegrist Mill covered bridge and the damage it sustained from flooding after Tropical Storm Lee.
Lancaster County commissioners today are expected to take the first step in resurrecting the Siegrist Mill covered bridge that was swept off its foundation during Tropical Storm Lee.
The commissioners likely will approve agreements with the owners of three properties for temporary construction easements that will enable the bridge to be rebuilt on site.
"There is a lot of interest out there in this, and a lot of folks in our community who care about this bridge," Commissioner Dennis Stuckey said. "It's part of our culture and heritage here in Lancaster County."
Since Sept. 8, the 92-foot span built in the 1880s has been lying in a heap in Chiques Creek.
Floodwaters ripped the bridge off its anchor points.
The 50-ton bridge carried Siegrist Road over the Chiques on the Rapho-West Hempfield township line.
According to Charlie Douts, the county's facilities management director, the bridge is intact, although it sustained heavy damage.
Recent soaking rains have not caused any further damage, he said.
Within the next month, two large cranes will be brought in to lift the bridge out of the creek and then set it on the shore nearby, where it will be rebuilt.
In order to get the cranes into position to remove the bridge from the creek and work on it, the county had to secure construction easements from owners of the three properties to which workers will need access.
Under the proposed agreements, Lucille Wiggins, Dale Martin, Mervin Martin, Donald Martin and Herb Martin — owners of 4228 Siegrist Road — each will be paid $500.
Jay and Carol Greider, owners of 4170 Siegrist Road, will be paid $400, and Jay and Sharon Peifer, owners of 4193 Siegrist Road, will be paid $1,000.
Once it's removed from the creek, the bridge will be set on a platform on the Peifers' property for rebuilding.
Its roof and siding will be stripped and structural members repaired, Douts said.
It will take about a year to repair the bridge. Douts hopes the bridge can be reopened by November 2012.
"It's very clear that Lancaster County residents love their covered bridges," Commissioner Craig Lehman said.
"I want to thank facilities (management) for moving forward, and the neighbors for helping us move forward, because without that cooperation it would be a whole lot more difficult to bring this bridge back to life."
The commissioners will meet today at 9:15 a.m. on the seventh floor of the county administration building at 150 N. Queen St.
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