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August 7, 2005
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| The historic lift bridge in Stillwater is closed through November, cutting off a major river crossing between Wisconsin and Minnesota. (MPR Photo/Annie Baxter) |
Stillwater, Minn. — If weekend foot traffic in downtown Stillwater is an accurate measure, the closing of the lift bridge is not crimping business too terribly along the main drag. On Sunday afternoon, the downtown area pulsed with activity. Families lined up for ice cream at a little kiosk. And dozens of couples strode arm in arm down the street.
Inside the Valley Bookstore, just a couple blocks away from the bridge, sales appeared to be brisk.
"I expected it to be quieter when I came in to work this week, but every day that I've worked, it's been much busier than normal," according to Natasha Fleischmann, a children's book specialist at the store. She says the bridge closing has meant less traffic in downtown Stillwater, and that could be drawing out some traffic- weary patrons.
"I've heard a lot of people comment on that. I think we get more locals now coming in to town, because there's going to be less traffic hassle," she says.
A couple doors down at the Rose Mill boutique, owner Michelle Jorgensen says her sales are also strong.
"I haven't noticed a decline, and I'm watching for it... Maybe we need another week to tell, but so far so good," Jorgensen says.
Jorgensen says much of her clientele comes from the Twin Cities. So few of them would be impeded by the Stillwater bridge closing.
If niche shops like Rose Mill and the Valley Bookstore are thriving in spite of -- or even because of -- the bridge closing, it's a different story for businesses offering staple products.
Robert Bauer, who works at the North Country Co-op grocery store in downtown Stillwater, says he's noticed a decrease in patronage since the lift bridge closed.
"The regular customers that come from Wisconsin have been seen fewer times now since the bridge has been closed. That doesn't mean that they're not shopping here. But they're probably shopping less frequently," Bauer figures.
The drop off in business is even more palpable at B and L Liquor Store, right across the river in Houlton, Wisc.
"Devastating. Everything's down 80-85 percent," says owner Al Seversen, who is thinking about cutting hours because "there ain't no sense in having two people stand around doing nothing. I don't know... I'm just going to have to play it by ear, or by dollar volume, I should say. Can't get much worse."
At the gas station in Houlton, there's also talk of cutting the hours of operation. But businesses are taking a hit from the bridge's closing in other ways, too.
The Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater has had to staff a satellite ambulance facility across the river in Somerset to accommodate its western Wisconsin clientele, since ambulances can no longer reach them across the Stillwater bridge. The satellite station is housed in the Somerset fire hall, and it's staffed round the clock by two paramedics.
According to Lakeview Hospital's CEO Curt Geissler, the hospital has to swallow the extra costs without any help from the city.
"For the four month period that the bridge is closed, it will cost approximately $120,000. So it's a considerable extra expense," he says.
The historic bridge that stands in in Stillwater will be under repair for several months. Plans to close the bridge were in the works for months, and many of the businesses around here had tried to think through what the consequences would be. And for some, they never would've anticipated how much of a boon it would be, and for others, just how much it would pull their business down.
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