After much discussion, the council decided to just strike the bridge from the illustrative list and not the whole plan. Mayor Brandon Bochenski said the process “stinks.”
Although not ideal for East Grand Forks, a bridge at Merrifield still has merit. For example, reducing truck traffic out of both towns would be considered a great victory.
The question is whether to allocate additional funds toward a Senior Citizens Center project in 2024, potentially leaving fewer funds for the grant application pool.