Harmar Bridge Progress
Harmar Bridge Company board meeting discussed nonprofit standings
Historic photo compiled by Art Smith The Historic Harmar Bridge has a storied, more than 150-year history, with its first iteration across the Muskingum River open to pedestrians and those traveling by horse and buggy.
Historic photos compiled by Art Smith Despite efforts to weigh down the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge crossing the Muskingum River, the flood of 1913 left only portions of crossings and the piers of the bridge in its wake.
Historic photo compiled by Art Smith The Historic Harmar Bridge has a storied, more than 150-year history, with its first iteration across the Muskingum River open to pedestrians and those traveling by horse and buggy.
Historic photos compiled by Art Smith Despite efforts to weigh down the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Bridge crossing the Muskingum River, the flood of 1913 left only portions of crossings and the piers of the bridge in its wake.
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The trajectory toward solvency continued Tuesday for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, with internal controls for financial accounting and federal nonprofit standing discussed in the group's monthly board meeting.
Board Director Charlotte Keim, a Marietta real estate agent and past CEO and president of the Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce, introduced suggested protocols and safety checks to restore public and government trust in the group which lapsed in its nonprofit 501(c)3 status with the Internal Revenue Service both in 2013 and 2018.
That most recent tax-exempt status lapse remains in effect, according to federal documentation.
Chairman of the Board Larry Sloter, a multi-business owner in Marietta and Reno, notified the board that the group's standing with the IRS is expected to be reinstated no later than 180 days from the final electronic filing this month by Perry and Associates, the Marietta accounting firm utilized in the last quarter of 2020 to review past and missing financial records. This would have the group restored to a tax-exempt status by Oct. 16.
Meanwhile, Tuesday also saw a presentation from the senior capstone course combining the skills of Marietta College students from the Information Systems and Computer Science programs.
Their presentation for professors Bob Van Camp and Matthew Williamson preceded the formal board meeting with Board Director Tom Fenton and ex officio for Marietta Main Street Cristie Thomas attending alongside a professional architect and the Times.
The students were tasked with designing a usable workproduct to aid in the preservation efforts of the Historic Harmar Bridge and described a computer database they built to not only track in real-time donations made through an online portal, but to then also display that set of donations in a progressive donation bar that could reveal itself in picture or drawing format on a website.
Students Vivian Thomas and Cameron Short explained the coding models used to build the back-end of such a digital visual, a note which was appreciated in the board's later discussion as useful to potentially implement when funds are raised to stabilize the existing structure, which was closed in March of last year following concerns for liability, safety and solvency of the private ownership.
Students Drew Hellman and Elle Kemp also described the ways the customized coding could aid the group in tracking user engagement and how the tools provided could be used to incorporate geographic information system mapping of the company's assets.
In total financial accounts (one restricted via the Marietta Community Foundation and partnership with Marietta Main Street, a separate checking account and savings account), the board was notified of a financial standing of $33,967, with the restricted fund of $26,673 the only tax-exempt location of monies.
Sloter noted that any donations solicited until the tax-exempt status is restored by the IRS would need to be donated to the Marietta Community Foundation's "Save Harmar Bridge" fund for donors to catalogue tax-exempt status.
The board also discussed planning for Hamar Days this summer. The festival's committee is scheduled to meet next week to outline final recommendations and city permit planning before soliciting sponsorships and selling raffle tickets for prizes.
The festival is scheduled to begin with an evening kick-off tentatively July 30, with formal Harmar Days fundraising and community events on July 31 and Aug. 1.
Janelle Patterson may be reached at jpatterson@mariettatimes.com.