In Lebanon, it begs the question: Why did Referendum 4 have to be so confusing?

The loss of the bridge has been a hole in the heart of Lebanon and Milton residents since 2012. (Rochester Voice file photo)

LEBANON, Maine - Even Lebanon Selectmen Chair Chuck Russell said on Saturday that Question 4 regarding the replacement of the New Bridge Road Bridge between Lebanon and Milton, N.H., could have been written more transparently.

Residents here will go to the polls on Tuesday to vote whether or not to enter into an agreement with Maine DOT to pay $145,000 for their share in the bridge's replacement cost.

But what Question 4 doesn't acknowledge is that Lebanon residents have already raised and appropriated $60,000 into a reserve bridge account dedicated to replacing the New Bridge Road Bridge, which was torn down in 2012 due to structural deficiencies.

"In hindsight, I agree it could've been worded differently," Russell said. "I could have pointed out that there was $60,000 already there."

Russell, who is just ending his first year as selectman, freely admits he is dead-set against the bridge. He thinks it will create a safety hazard with trailers and RVs traversing New Bridge, Gully Oven and TM Wentworth roads along with the Champion Street area where he lives.

Conversely, many in town including Selectmen Corinna Cole and Everetts Cove Marina owner Jeff Everett believe that, in fact, the replacement of the bridge is vital to public safety, evidenced by a recent incident last month that could've ended tragically for a West Lebanon toddler.

According to Everett, there was an ATV accident on Dolby Way, just up the street from the former bridge, in which a toddler was trapped underneath the ATV with her head wedged between the frame and ATV tire.

"The family had to cut the tire to extract the child," Everett wrote in a Facebook post. "She was not breathing and was discolored. A family relative started CPR. Both Milton and Lebanon ambulances were dispatched. Milton rescue had to drive seven minutes around via Garage Way because the bridge is out while the CPR was being administered. Seven minutes is forever in a situation like this.

"Fortunately, the CPR worked, and the child resumed breathing on her own prior to the ambulance arriving. But this story could have had a very different outcome."

If the New Bridge Road bridge had been open, Milton Rescue could have been there in three or four minutes.

Cole agreed that safety is a paramount concern for the people of West Lebanon.

"I support the proposed New Bridge Road Bridge replacement," she said. "In my eyes it is foremost a safety issue. Emergency Services response time for a large section of Lebanon could improve considerably with the replacement of this valuable piece of infrastructure. We as a town have been saving for this bridge for several years now. And if Tuesday's referendum passes it will cap our cost on this project at $145,000, only $25,000 more than the voters approved originally.

"We have $60,000 earmarked for this project in our Bridge Capital Improvement Reserve Account to date and approximate $25,000 more in that account that has not been earmarked for any other projects."

Selectman Paul Philbrick, Selectperson Laura Bragg and Cole voted for the bridge, while Russell and Selectman Jeffrey Adams voted against it. The budget committee approved the bridge project, 5-3.

The question does not ask voters to raise and appropriate the money because that won't have to happen till next year. Beyond that, replacement of the bridge is expected to take three years, and it's likely the town would be able to spread out the payment during the three-year project.

So how much more will the bridge cost Lebanon residents?

Russell agreed that the $25,000 in a bridge reserve account that is not specifically earmarked for the New Bridge Road bridge replacement could be added to the mix, but worried that would leave the bridge account bare for other repair that are necessary like for a bridge on Upper Guinea Road.

If the referendum is approved the construction will being in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021.