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Committee clears way for snowmobilers to get bridge back in Alabama

By Howard B. Owens

At today's Ways and Means Committee meeting, Sno-Packers Snowmobile Club representative Kevin Fisher could only laugh.

"It's not easy, is it?" County Attorney John Rizzo said.

For Fisher and the other club members, getting their bridge restored on Sour Springs Road in Alabama has been a long process. There is always one more step.

Today's step was for the Ways and Means Committee to refer a resolution to the full County Legislature. It authorizes Chairwoman Mary Pat Hancock to sign an agreement with the Town of Alabama accepting indemnification from any liability for the bridge.

There's always a wrinkle, of course, and in this case, according to Legislator Ray Cianfrini, who represents Alabama, the town attorney wants the Sno-Packers to be a party to the agreement.

But both Cianfrini and Rizzo said from the county perspective, it's a two-party agreement and there's nothing preventing the Town of Alabama from signing an agreement with Sno-Packers.

"That's raising some controversy that we don't necessarily agree with," said Ray " ... We want to make sure that we fulfill our side of the agreement by referring it to the Legislature to approve for signature."

For Fisher, he would just like to get the bridge in as soon as possible and he was hoping to find some way to start installation even before all of the agreements are signed.

"Right now we have a break in the weather," Fisher said. "It would be much more pleasant to set that bridge back in place now when it's 40 degrees than two weeks from now when it's 20. That's our only thing. We understand if it can't be done, it can't be done."

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