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LAST REMINDER TO ALL PARTICIPANTS: The absolute deadline for all completed bridge surveys is nearing. You have until 7 August to submit your surveys via e-mail. They will not be accepted afterwards as they will be tabulated and used for the presentation, which is to be completed before I fly to Pittsburgh for the Historic Bridge Conference, where the presentation will take place on 21 August.

At the moment, 86 participants have submitted their completed surveys with 14 to go before reaching the century mark. Whether or not it will be achieved depends on how many will take part between now and Saturday. While it's not obligatory, the survey is fun to fill out and your opinion on the topic of places of historic interest (and bridges as the case study) does count and will contribute to what preservationists, tourists, and politicians should do differently to change the policies towards preserving places of interest for future generations. If you have an hour of free time and would like to take part, just click on to this link below:

http://bridgehunter.com/misc/jason-smith-survey2.doc

And away you go..... :-)

Should you have any questions, etc., please don't hesitate to contact me. Otherwise good luck with the survey and I'm looking forward to your replies to the subject between now and Saturday. Have a nice rest of the week.

Best wishes,

Jason

NOTE TO THOSE STILL WANTING TO TAKE THE BRIDGE SURVEY AND THOSE STILL TRYING TO FILL IT OUT:

It came to my attention that there are some people who are still filling out the bridge survey forms but are currently busy with other commitments. No problem! :-) The deadline for all submissions has been pushed back to THIS FRIDAY at midnight your time, to allow you some time to finish filling it out. This will be the absolute cut-off date as I plan to finish tabulating the results and completing the presentation before I leave on the 19th for Pittsburgh.

At the time of this e-mail, 83 completed forms have been submitted with 17 to go before I reach that century mark by week's end. Even though I'll also do some "on the street" surveys this week, there are still some out there who could use that extra time to complete the survey, which has been granted by yours truly.

The form has no strings attached- no obligations- but it's interesting and fun to fill out. I've received some very interesting answers to the survey questions as I was tabulating the results over the weekend and it'll make for a very interesting presentation and discussion forum at the Historic Bridge Conference in Pittsburgh on the 20-22 August. Your opinion does count so if you are still interested, get the lead out and "get it done," as my former football coach and social studies teacher would say in high school.

Looking forward to your results and hope we can reach that 100 mark between now and week's end. Good luck and thanks in advance for your help! :-)

Greetings,

Jason

NOTE TO THOSE STILL WANTING TO TAKE THE BRIDGE SURVEY:

You still have some time to download and complete the form and send it back to me. I've pushed the deadline back to Sunday the 1st of August, given the fact that most of the surveys completed have been tabulated into the computers and I've already started on the presentation. Should you NOT make it by this Sunday, you can also submit it on Monday or Tuesday atfer the deadline and I'll still take them on. Please let me know if you have any further questions regarding the survey.

As of Friday 30 July, 75 respondents have submitted their surveys from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean with 4 1/2 days left at the most. I'm hoping of hitting the century mark beforehand, but it all depends on who is still up to spending a half hour to an hour with a questionnaire that is interesting, fun, and has no strings attached. :-) Good luck to those still wanting to take part and remember: your contribution counts towards a presentation with a potential for some interesting discussions at the HB Conference in Pittsburgh in August. :-)

JS

I took the survey,then thought I saved it,I saved the wrong part,then had to re-do it did it all over again then sent it. I e-mailed it to Mr. Smith just now. A fun survey. I said what I thought too.

Here is what I would like to know: On what date is the festival and fundraiser for the restoration of the Cavanaugh Bridge, which also borders Jackson County? And for that matter, the other historic truss bridges in the county?

Rick and I documented Cavanaugh Bridge this past Spring, and I had to climb over a re-bar grid to even get on the deck of the bridge to document it. My assessment shows that the bridge is in great need of restoration. Among my observations was severe section loss around the ends of the sway bracing.

http://www.bridgehunter.com/in/jackson/cavanaugh/

As one of the longest pin-connected Pratt truss spans I have encountered, the Cavanaugh Bridge is just as deserving of a restoration and festival as the nearby Covered Bridge. However, the pattern of ignorance and discrimination against truss bridges continues... even in a state like Indiana where the truss bridges are treated far better than in some states like Pennsylvania.