Not long after the Marshalltown city council unanimously approved the naming of the Apgar Family Water Plaza, the discussion and action moved to the trailhead bridge in the Linn Creek District on 6th Street, and once it is replaced and rebuilt, it will be known as the Emerson Bridge after a unanimous vote Monday night.

Parks and Recreation Director Geoff Hubbard said the proposal was due to the fact that the company, one of Marshalltown’s largest employers, has made a major contribution to the Linn Creek projects including the Ann C. Keyser Trailhead, the trailhead bridge, water plaza and the Martha-Ellen Tye Playhouse. Hubbard, a 1989 MHS graduate, noted Emerson/Fisher’s longstanding presence in the community.

“That’s all people could talk about was that’s where everybody worked that I knew, my parents, everybody worked at Fisher. They’ve done so much over (the years)… for its employees, for this town, and we think it would be very deserving for them,” he said. “One of the reasons they said they wanted to donate was (that) this whole project will attract people for their company to want to come work, live and play here, and this would be a great honor to have the bridge named after them.”

Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall then stepped back up to the speaking podium and echoed that Emerson leaders had been highly supportive of the Linn Creek projects, which will benefit from a total of $2 million in Destination Iowa grants, in recruiting and retaining high quality employees. In an interesting twist, Hall made a historical connection in pointing out that when Fisher first started, the company made and sold bicycles along with their now famous valves.

“There’s a great callback to the foundations of the company here, so we are incredibly grateful for their support on projects,” he said.

Hall went on to shout out other local businesses and organizations like MARSHALLTOWN Co. and the Martha-Ellen Tye Foundation for their contributions. As Mayor/Acting City Administrator Joel Greer asked for any further comments, Councilor Mark Mitchell said he would like to see the bridge named “Fisher/Emerson” in honor of late fellow Councilor Al Hoop, a longtime employee of the company.

Jim Shaw reiterated his already mentioned hard feelings over the fact that he hadn’t been allowed to name a dog park after his late wife, and Leigh Bauder submitted a written comment with the same proposal as the one Mitchell submitted, to call it the Fisher/Emerson Bridge as a means of tying in the company history and honoring both the Fisher family and Hoop. She also shared concerns about whether the amount of Emerson’s donation would be revealed and wanted the resolution corrected to acknowledge that the company was a business and not an individual.

The motion to grant the naming rights ultimately passed by a unanimous 6-0 vote. According to Hubbard, work on the project will include the following aspects:

Removal of the current 6th Street bridge;

Replacement of a new full span bridge across Linn Creek, which will be named the Emerson Bridge;

Removing the pump track from the existing skatepark, which will remain where it is; and

Construction of a restroom building, a large 40 person gathering shelter, a smaller shelter by the skate park, an overlook of Linn Creek, bike racks and a redesigned trail running through it to access the Linn Creek Trail and the 6th Street Trail heading south across the bridge, behind Wayward Social and up to the Freedom Rock at the American Legion Golf Course.

The estimated cost for both the bridge and trailhead are just under $3 million with funding coming through General Obligation bonds from the city, the Destination Iowa Grant, private donations and contributions from TRAILS Inc.