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Rogue River will fix what flood destroyed ROGUE RIVER -- Dick Skevington built swinging bridges across creeks and rivers in the North Cascade Mountains, including a span near Mount Rainier, where he worked for 14 years. Yet he may have been more proud of the bridge he built in his hometown. It was a swinging bridge made of cable and wood, with netting on both sides. Called Skevington Crossing, it connected two city parks in Rogue River, and was a favorite path for children heading to school or seniors looping through town for their daily exercise. But on New Year's Day in 1997, floodwaters snapped the bridge like a toothpick, washing it downstream. "It was pretty sad," said Skevington, a retired facilities manager with the National Park Service. "I was sick in bed that day so I didn't see it collapse, but later I saw it in pieces down along the bank. The city salvaged part of it, took bids on it and sold it." At Thursday night's council meeting, the city took a first step toward building a new span across Evans Creek to connect Palmerton and Classick Bicentennial parks. The Rogue River City Council passed a resolution in support of replacing Skevington Crossing. Estimated costs are $150,000 to $225,000 to replace the 4-foot-wide bridge, which was 170 feet long and was accessible to wheelchairs. "The new bridge would be longer and would go all the way to the upper bank in Palmerton Park," Skevington says. The new length would make it even more accessible to wheels than it was before. And the new bridge would be situated above the 100-year flood plain, reducing the chances of another loss. Rogue River residents have missed Skevington Crossing, the builder says. "It had a pretty steady crowd of people that were out walking. ... And there were quite a lot of school kids that used it," he says. Now that the city has resolved to replace it, the next step is to apply for state and federal grant money to pay for materials, says Kelly Madding, city recorder. "Hopefully, we can find enough money to do the project," she says. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA