District, city join forces to bridge Santiam Canal

By Emily Mentzer, Lebanon Express writer

Julianne Robinson, 12, has always liked to draw, but had never penciled anything to scale until she drew the winning design for the future bridge at Ralston Park.

Robinson, who will be in eighth grade at Lacomb School next year, was honored alongside competing artists at the June 16 school board meeting.

Former City Maintenance and Parks Manager Rod Sell said the idea originated when Lebanon High School electronics and science teacher Steve Robinson heard about the youth legacy project at Cheadle Lake.

Part of that project included high school students proposing a conceptual design for a bridge and boardwalk.

"He realized the project for a bridge across the Santiam Canal at Ralston Park," Sell said about Steve Robinson.

Sell said a bridge at Ralston has always been on the Master Plan for the park.

He said when Steve Robinson looked at what students were doing at the lake and at what could be done, he thought it'd be a great opportunity to involve students throughout the whole system.

Steve Robinson, no relation to Julianne, said the idea was to get the community and schools working together.

"I wanted to show the students in a good light," he said. "I felt a bridge over at Ralston Park right there in downtown …, everyone could see it and see what kids are capable of."

Steve Robinson arranged for everyone to be involved, from elementary students right through the high school.

Having the elementary/ middle school students draw conceptual designs was phase one.

Julianne said she found out about the project through her dad, Lacomb fifth-grade teacher Don Robinson.

"I just thought I'd do it," she said. "I kind of looked at different covered bridges on the internet and got some ideas."

Julianne had no prior experience drawing to scale.

"We've been doing some house plans," she said. "I looked at those and figured out how to do it, how to do the proportions compared to each other."

The conceptual drawings went to a committee with members from the Lebanon Parks Committee and school representatives.

The drawings were awarded points based on aesthetics, maintainability and constructability.

"It's a covered bridge, very nicely done," Steve Robinson said of Julianne's drawing. "It had to be about 60 feet long and six feet wide, to allow two wheelchairs to pass each other."

The conceptual drawing is headed to the LHS engineering class, where teacher Mardy Benedict's students will work with city engineers to create the blueprints.

Once the county and city engineers agree on the blueprints, the plans will go to LHS construction teacher Eric Frazier's class to build.

"It's a great opportunity for the high school students to work directly with engineers and contractors," Steve Robinson said.

Julianne Robinson will be retained, at no fee to the city, as a creative advisor.

Steve Robinson said the bridge will be paid for through grants, which cannot be applied for until after approved blueprints exist.

Because no promise for funding exists, Sell said no commitment to actually build the bridge exists.

"We can't read the future," Sell said. "After the plans have been reviewed by the structural engineers and the planning committee, they could go look for funding."