Lecompton resident David Powell normally leads a simple life, making custom kitchen and bathroom cabinetry for his company – Wood-N-Stuff Cabinets.

But he’s worried his life and business, which has shops on both sides of the Kansas River in Perry and Lecompton, could soon become too complicated.

The roadbed of the Lecompton Bridge needs to be replaced.

“I really want to get the facts before I jump to conclusions, but I know there’s the possibility of shutting down the bridge for repairs,” Powell said.

With parts of his business in each town, Powell commutes between the two at least twice daily. If the bridge were shut down, he said his 10-minute drive could become 30 minutes.

Folks in Lecompton and Perry are greatly concerned with the possibility of closing the bridge – which is a major thoroughfare in the area.

Lecompton residents called a meeting with the Douglas County Commission. The meeting will be at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday at the Lecompton Community Building.

David Powell, who owns Wood-N-Stuff Cabinets, which has shops in both Lecompton and Perry, is concerned about the possibility of the Lecompton Bridge being closed for repairs. The Douglas County Commission will meet with residents about the bridge on Wednesday evening in Lecompton.

“My guess is that we, as a commission, are not going to make a decision about the bridge at that meeting,” Commissioner Bob Johnson said. “The point of the meeting is to listen to the city commission and the public and whoever else wants to talk about the bridge.”

The bridge project is estimated to cost $4 million, Douglas County Public Works Director Keith Browning said. Douglas and Jefferson Counties would split the cost of the project based on property valuations in the two counties.

There is a possibility of the commissions closing the bridge to repair it or keeping one lane of the bridge open during construction.

It’s thought that the project would take about four months to complete and cut the $4 million cost by about $600,000 if the bridge is closed. Leaving one lane of the bridge open would stretch the project to about nine months and it would be closed to tractor-trailers.

But the Douglas and Jefferson county commissioners haven’t taken formal action regarding the bridge project, which likely will get started in 2007.

Regardless, area residents are worried about the possible closure and its impact on businesses and children.

“I’m really concerned about kids being on the bus so long if the bridge is out,” said Lecompton resident Tricia Schmidt. “I just see that as a safety issue.”

Schmidt is the mother of three girls – Emily, 11, Maggie, 7, and Libbie, 4. Emily starts at Perry Middle School this year. That means she will be riding to school across the Lecompton Bridge on the daily basis.

• 6News video: Commissioners to discuss Lecompton Bridge with residents (08-14-05)
• Lecompton Bridge may close for deck repairs (06-21-05)

Schmidt has already been running the potential scenarios of her daughter getting sick at school and her having to drive about 30 miles to and from Perry to pick her up.

“If she has a dental appointment, that will be half a day of school,” she said.

The preference from anywhere in the Perry-Lecompton school district is that the bridge not be closed, Supt. Steve Johnston said.

The school board has discussed the matter. But members haven’t taken an official position on the matter, Johnston said.

“At this point, we’re in a wait-and-see mode,” he said. “We don’t really have any more information than anyone else. But we wouldn’t want kids on the bus any longer than necessary.”

Johnston said he and school board members would attend the meeting Wednesday.