Windjammer Park bridge closed for renovation

Two Rotary clubs have partnered with the city to renovate the bridge.

The 55-year-old bridge across the lagoon at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor will be closed for several weeks while it is renovated.

Two Rotary clubs and the city have teamed up to fund the renovation, which will include a new railing and downward-facing lighting, along with the replacement of some of the rotted wood.

The Rotary Club of North Whidbey Sunrise and the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor raised $44,000 for the renovation and new plaques, said Steve Schwalbe, past president of the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor.

City council members authorized staff to spend up to $40,000 on the project in April 2020, and later added $12,955.86 to the budget in January this year.

The project started as a replacement of the bridge but was later changed to a renovation.

“It’s definitely a joint project between the Rotary clubs and the city,” Schwalbe said.

Rotary members installed the bridge in 1965. Two plaques noted the Rotary’s connection to the bridge before, and two more will be added to memorialize some members who have recently passed away from both local clubs, Schwalbe said.

Most of the bridge has been cleared away except for a few posts.

A city webpage says the closure will take place between April 19 and June 28. Visitors will be detoured around the other side of the lagoon for the duration of the project.

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