Debra Brazee holds a six foot long board upright in the center of North Ellis Street near the point where the new height of the street will be if the proposed would be built to replace the old Shober bridge. Brazee's house is in the background. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

The Shober Bridge to show unity against the removal of the old bridge over the dual railroad tracks on North Ellis Street. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

By Shelley Smithssmith@salisburypost.com

Debra Brazee moved to the comfortable, historic Ellis Street Graded School district in 1999 from Colorado.

She lives about 100 feet north of the Shober Bridge in the Lunn-Femster house built in 1878.

If the Shober Bridge is rebuilt as the city has proposed, Brazee will be faced with 18 to 24 months of construction in her front yard. And in the end, the hum of construction will be replaced by a six-foot wall leading her to the Ellis Street she used to know.

Within two years after moving in, Brazee realized that the bridge replacement could seriously happen. There was a little activity in 2003, she said, and by the end of 2005 the City Council was looking at replacing the bridge.

"I requested that the engineering team first meet with me before their City Council presentation," Brazee said. "I wanted to know what the bridge would look like and how it would affect my property."

The engineers gave her two options, she said: either have a concrete wall in her front yard or a grassy slope.

"I remember being very puzzled because I didn't know it was a done deal," she said. "There was never any model to see what it would look like, and to date that hasn't happened."

Brazee said she asked City Council to give her an idea of how high the elevation will be on her property, requesting that they come out and show her.

"They've either been unable or unwilling to indicate on my property the amount of fill or height of elevation that would be significantly increased," she said. "It's been very frustrating and very time-consuming doing my own research, sending e-mails to the city and attending meetings."

Brazee said she is disappointed city officials have not been working with the Historic Salisbury Foundation to help educate council members on the rehabilitation option for the Shober Bridge.

The construction of a new bridge would be going on "within feet" of Brazee's front porch, she said, also taking out two of her trees, which are protected under historic guidelines, as well as taking out her brick walkway.

"It would really just make life unlivable in that house for that time," she said. It would also affect the quality of life for her significant other who is terminally ill and lives in the home.

He has multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and several other illnesses.

"His illnesses require him to rest at different times of the day," Brazee said. "He has an irregular schedule, and I'm imagining that construction will disrupt his sleep. In a historic house, there's no such thing as sound-proofing windows.

"My fear is that his MS and other health conditions will actually get worse. I can't imagine the city will run the risk of someone getting sick because of their decision in replacing the bridge when there's a viable, cost-effective alternative to rehabilitate the bridge."

Brazee said she looks at what has happened to the homes on Innes and Bank streets that have been affected by the new bridges across the tracks.

"It's really just shocking to see this concrete wall," Brazee said. "It has the feel of being in this concrete prison that has no aesthetic value.

"Who in this city would want to live in this concrete hole?"

Brazee hopes the city will look at plans for rehabilitating the bridge and think about other ideas to add to the historic bridge, such as a park.

"Right now I look across the street at the city property and see a piece of land that would make a beautiful park that could celebrate this landmark," she said. "It's a resource they're looking at destroying instead of making it an incredible resource that could bring the community together and celebrate the history of our city.

"It's not just an issue for me, it's an issue for the whole impact of the neighborhood. When they (city officials) talk about only one house being affected, it depersonalizes it."

Brazee said the city still has a lot of kinks to work out with traffic flow, parking, trash collection and other important factors along Ellis Street.

"A simple thing like taking the trash out becomes difficult," she said. "With this road closed for 18 months to two years, how will I get in and out of my driveway?

"The engineers admit they haven't resolved that issue for during the construction or afterward."

Brazee said the amount of traffic would increase, particularly the large semi-trailer trucks that come from Freirich Foods Inc. in Jersey City.

One of Brazee's neighbors monitored trucks traveling down Fulton Street that would travel down Ellis if the new bridge was built, counting 21 trucks from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m.

"The new bridge would contribute to safety issues and increase noise all along the road," she said, mentioning that Ellis Street is not a very wide road to begin with.

Brazee said she didn't want to live at her Ellis Street residence if the new bridge was built.

"But I don't know if I'd be able to sell the property, either," she said.

"At this point people are just so tired of hearing about the bridge, and they just want it done. And when things get to that point, we run the risk of a bad decision being made.

"The bridge can be made safe and carry the weight of the city vehicles, and all can be accomplished without destroying it."