An ancient wisdom saying is that “when words lose their meaning, people lose their freedom.” I thought of this line when I recently read the description by the president of the Mission Heritage Trails Association of plans to demolish Mission Creek Bridge: “If they have to touch the bridge, then there are ways to take those stones off, number them, put them back on.”
That is, somehow, it would not be demolition of Mission Creek Bridge when literally every single stone in the existing bridge would be removed, a new bridge with a different design — bigger, wider, with higher flanking stone parapet walls, and (depending on plan) cantilevered walkways or a second or wider arch underneath it — would be built in place of the existing bridge, and then stones from the existing bridge would be affixed to the exterior of the new bridge.
Unless the Santa Barbara community stands up now, the historic Mission Creek Bridge may be lost forever. Now is the time to save Mission Creek Bridge.