Seylar Elementary School students in Hilltown Township ended their school year with a strong feeling of civic pride.
About 20 students in the M.M. Seylar Leadership Club raised $700 toward forthcoming repairs to the badly damaged 1832 South Perkasie Covered Bridge in Lenape Park in Perkasie. The fourth and fifth grade students took on the project last fall under the guidance of teacher advisors Susan Benstead and Jill Groff.
On May 31, the students gathered to present an oversize check to Perkasie Historical Society, which has led fundraising efforts in conjunction with Perkasie Borough, which is overseeing the major reconstruction project.
Louise Doll, vice president of the Perkasie Historical Society, commented, “We are impressed with the design technology innovations and creativity of all of the students. We are honored and grateful for this donation to the society for restoration of the South Perkasie Covered Bridge. What an impact!”
Not only was the check oversized, but so was the donation, as it by far exceeded the students’ own original goal of $500.
The project was the original idea of Leadership Club student member Olivia Hunt, who suggested it after the historic bridge was severely damaged by the floodwaters from Hurricane Ida in September, 2021. The 190-year-old lattice-design bridge was knocked off its stone abutments and was tilted and twisted, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
The borough has since temporarily secured the span until it can be rebuilt higher and re-positioned to avoid future flood problems.
To raise funds, the Leadership Club members designed red plastic key chains made on a 3-D printer and featuring the bridge on them and sold them at the school and community events for $1. The key chain supplies were funded by a grant from the Pennridge Community Education Fund. A few remaining key chains are available at the Perkasie Carousel and Perkasie Museum.
Perkasie Historical Society had earlier raised $117,000 for bridge repairs in 2020 and the borough received a matching $100,000 grant for the reconstruction work, both before the latest flood damages. The borough is currently awaiting approval of FEMA and PEMA grants for the bridge repairs before engineering work can proceed.
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