Mill Pond Pedestrian Bridge unites Nora Springs

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The shortest distance between two points is generally a straight line.

Or in the case of Nora Springs, it’s a 360-foot pedestrian bridge that has given the small community a path to walk over the scenic Shell Rock River and its accompanying dam.

The recently opened Mill Pond Pedestrian Bridge has been a long time coming for the community of just over 1,400 that sits right near the line between Floyd and Cerro Gordo counties.

“It’s something that we’ve wanted for easily 100 years — no exaggeration,” said Emily Dykstra, chairwoman of the Nora Springs Parks and Recreation Board.

“If you want to get to the other side of the river – if you’re from out of town, a lot of people don’t even know how to do that,” said Dykstra, a 1998 Central Springs High School graduate.

The $1.5 million project to make the bridge a useable link that connects Old Mill Pond Park on the north to the southern banks of the Shell Rock River City Park didn’t come easily.

The big flood of 2016 stalled construction efforts for a year. Three smaller floods this past summer slowed progress as well. The bridge opened December 7 after those repeated delays.

“The construction went pretty smoothly, but the weather was terrible,” said Dykstra. “It was a mess getting it up.”

Then there was the cost, which initially made it difficult to move forward with the project.

But like a wave of water rippling over the dam, the money soon came flooding in.

“There’s a lot of private money invested,” said Dykstra. “We have really broad support.”

Dykstra said a major funding backer was the Adams Family Foundation, which donated $1 million. Nora Springs received almost 70 public and private donations, as well as $25,000 from the Floyd County Board of Supervisors.

There was also a $75,000 matching grant from the Wellmark Foundation and another $75,000 in an Iowa Department of Natural Resources REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) grant.

Mike Brallier, a Nora Springs Parks and Rec board member, remembers as a child playing in the abandoned mill that was located on the northern banks of the Shell Rock.

“People talked about a bridge across here when I was a kid,” said Brallier, a 1967 Central Springs High School graduate who lives in town and married his high school sweetheart.

There was a plank walkway in the 1920s that allowed pedestrians to traverse the river in the general vicinity of where the new bridge stands. That’s a far cry from the safety and ease which one can navigate their destination now.

“Our engineers did an awesome job,” Dykstra said.

Brallier said the construction company that erected the bridge broke several bits in the boring process, sending the point home that the bridge is on solid ground.

“Every pier is all bored down into solid rock at least nine feet down,” said Brallier. “The dike could go out over there and the bridge will still stand here.”

The practicality of the 10-foot wide and ADA-compliant overpass just makes sense from a travel standpoint. Kids that live in the southwest part of town had to walk a mile to school to avoid the river. That meant a potentially dangerous situation for students walking along Highway 122 for a sustained stretch just to get to class. Passing cars would whizz by kids on their route to their prospective classrooms.

“Now with having a bridge here, somebody who lives in this side of town can walk to the school in half a mile all along residential streets, through the park where there’s no traffic. It’s a lot safer,” said Dykstra.

There’s an elementary school in town and also a middle school in Nora Springs. Once kids graduate from the middle school, it’s off to Central Springs High School, located around 20 miles northwest in Manly, which is part of Worth County.  

Gavin Ryner, a sixth-grader at the middle school in Nora Springs, was very happy about the new bridge and the easy access it provides across the river.

“I like it. I have friends on the other side I like to go see,” said Gavin.

Gavin was out walking Friday afternoon with his older brother, Jordan. They brought along the family dog, Chipper. The labradoodle, which Gavin called a “double doodle,” seemed to be enjoying the leisurely jaunt across the river just as much as his handlers did, despite the chilly and windy conditions

“This is such an active town. We love having these areas and love having people able to use them better,” said Dykstra.

There are 57 automated lights that illuminate the bridge at night, making it a sight to behold from miles away.

“If you happen to be by here at night, going to Mason or something, the lighting is fantastic,” said Brallier. “It’s gorgeous.”

What’s the fishing like on the Shell Rock?

“Wonderful,” said Brallier.

Brallier said anywhere from 10 to 12 people can be seen fishing along the shores of the Shell Rock or on the bridge when it’s not too cold out. Walleye, northern and bass seem to be an angler’s best bet and Brallier said since the dam went out downstream in Rockford, there seems to be more fish in the area.

Construction is not completed in or around the bridge, which also has a nice lookout platform to view the picturesque river.

Winter stalled putting the finishing touches on the project, which will include a plaque near the south entrance to the bridge that will list the donors that contributed to the undertaking.

There is also some landscaping work, in addition to sodding and seeding the banks near the bridge once the weather gets warmer. The stone on the bridge will also have to be stained and the parking area will be upgraded as well.

The pedestrian bridge will soon hook up with the Shell Rock River Greenbelt Trail, which is a 13-mile trail that connects Nora Springs and Rock Falls. Dykstra said there have also been talks about developing a wetland area in proximity to the new pedestrian bridge.

The pedestrian bridge is the centerpiece to help revamp and revitalize the area.

“We’ve had a long term-trail development plan in place and this is kind of the linchpin of it,” Dykstra said.

The Mill Pond pedestrian bridge has come a long way since the first feasibility study was conducted five years ago. The bridge will be dedicated this spring.

Dykstra said the shelter house that sits just south of the water should also bring plenty of families to the area.

“Nobody uses it because nobody knows it’s there. Hopefully we’ll get a lot more use out of it,” said Dykstra. “We want to see a lot more usage on both sides of the river.”