NILES TOWNSHIP — February’s historic flooding caused major damages to Niles’ Island Park, wrecking the bridge that crosses the St. Joseph River and leaving the park inaccessible. City officials are still determining options to repair the park and subsequent bridge. This week, township officials offered to help by giving city officials the option of using timber that was knocked down in preparation for phase II of the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail.

Trustees discussed the decision Monday night and then voted unanimously to donate the wood to the city and let Niles officials remove it at their own cost. The timber could be used to repair the decking and other damaged parts of the bridge, including support beams.

Clerk Terry Eull said he had been in communication with Niles City Administrator Ric Huff about potentially using the wood for Island Park. The trees were cut down this spring to clear a path for the trail, which will eventually connect Indiana and Michigan.

Huff sent a request to Eull earlier this month. Huff stated that the bridge was damaged during the flood and that the city had received an engineering report, estimating repair costs at $56,205. He went on to say that a “substantial portion of the cost” was the timber needed to make those repairs and that the city was exploring options for timber donations.

Eull said the city is still looking into all their options for wood, but had asked the township if they would consider donating timber from the trail. 

The issue was first discussed during a meeting earlier this month, but trustees wanted to make sure that they were not obligated to give the wood to the contractor, following removal of the trees. Trustees received word that they were free to do what they wanted with the timber.

Trustee Chris Vella said she thought it was a “great idea” to donate the wood. Trustee Richard Cooper asked fellow trustees whether they knew if the wood had any value. In response, trustee Jim Ringler said the value was likely “negligible” to the cost it would be to remove the trees.

Township Supervisor Jim Stover also supported the idea to donate the timber. 

“Knowing that the township could be helping the city rehabilitate the Island Park bridge is values to itself,” Stover said.

At this time, Eull said it is unclear whether donating the trees to the city could save any money on the township’s end. He said no matter what, the trees have to be removed, but the project has not yet gone out to bid, so the cost or whether it would be included in stump removal costs is unknown.

Huff said the city is still evaluating whether it would be the most cost-effective solution. He said the trees are not readily accessible and this could be costly. However, he said he appreciated the township working with the city and providing them with another option.

“Well I think it is a great show of partnership between Niles Township and the city,” Huff said. “They had to remove some trees for the trail and that creates an opportunity to make repairs to the bridge.”

City officials are continuing to move forward with plans to repair Island Park. During a meeting on Aug, 13, city officials voted to approve up to $8,000 for Wightman & Associates Inc., to produce construction drawings to repair the Island Park Bridge and structure for ADA compliance. City officials said the drawings were a necessary step to completing repairs and assuring that the structure passes load testing and engineer’s approval.

Huff said he does not yet know what the time frame for their decision on repair materials will look like, though he expects for engineers to provide a report in the next eight weeks that will detail how much lumber is needed and other aspects of the repair.