At a called meeting of the Nevada County Quorum Court Monday afternoon at 5:00 p.m, the court members were presented with a problem.  The contractor working to replace a temporary bridge on Wildcat Road at Cox Creek with what will be called a hundred-year bridge, consisting of a concrete box with culverts running through it, needed money so he could go on with the work.

A complete video of the meeting can be seen below this article.

Nevada County Fire Chief and Emergency Services Coordinator David Gummeson suggested that the county take out a $280,000 short-term loan from the Bank of Delight at 7 percent annual interest.  He said he had been assured by FEMA officials that this cost for the bridge replacement will be fully reimbursed and the work proposal was approved. It would just be a matter of time before a check could be cut.

With County Judge Mike Otwell endorsing the plan, the Justices of the Peace took their vote on JP Herbert Coleman’s motion to take out the loan for 90 days from Bank of Delight.  The county, in Gummeson’s words, would have to consume the interest cost, which Otwell expressing the hope this will be limited to about $1,300 because of the FEMA check’s arrival. 

The work on the bridge, which will include equipment and personnel from the county’s Road and Bridge Department, will continue in the next few months, Gummeson said, as supplies are arriving.  

In a statement released July 8th, the Nevada County Emergency Management Office announced the temporary bridge is closed and that drivers should “travel Nevada CR-20 or Highway 24 as an alternative route.”

JP Dennis Pruitt said the bridge being out should not cause undue burden to school buses as their routes do not include Wildcat Road.