Members of the Historic Harmar Bridge Company are presented a check for $300,000 from Laurie Hadler, Tuesday evening on the Mall of the Marietta College campus. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

MARIETTA — The Historic Harmar Bridge Company has received a $300,000 donation from Laurie Hadler, a gift organization leaders said could help move the bridge restoration effort into its next phase.

Hadler said she decided to make the donation after attending a board meeting and seeing the work already being done by members of the organization.

“I knew that’s what they needed to get to the next level,” Hadler said. “They worked very hard, and I said, ‘You have to let the public know how hard you guys are working on this. Not everybody realizes what you have done to get to this point.'”

Hadler said she left the meeting knowing she wanted to help. She later contacted members of the organization and told them she planned to donate $300,000.

The donation is the largest the organization has received, according to Historic Harmar Bridge Company Board Chair Derek Buell.

Foot traffic to the Harmar Bridge has been closed since January 2020 while the Historic Harmar Bridge Company has worked toward refurbishing the bridge for the safety of pedestrians. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

“This is the single largest donation we’ve ever received,” Buell said. “It’s going to end up going as match money for larger grants.”

Buell said the funding is expected to be used as local matching money for grant opportunities connected to design and engineering work for the bridge. He said the money could help leverage additional funds for a larger design project, including engineering and agency coordination.

Buell said the design phase could cost about $1.5 million. A 20% local match for that amount would be $300,000, he said.

“It’s about leveraging local dollars to bring in more than we’ve raised,” Buell said. “It’s basically just a huge investment strategy.”

The Historic Harmar Bridge Company has been working to preserve and restore the bridge, which has long been a recognizable part of Marietta’s riverfront and Harmar neighborhood. Buell said recent inspection findings from April are still being reviewed, but early information indicates the organization is moving in a positive direction.

Hadler said she plans to remain involved with the effort and help with the organization’s capital campaign. She said she hopes her donation encourages others to contribute.

“I’m going to help with the capital campaign,” Hadler said. “I already agreed to do that, so I can talk with others who might be interested in making a donation, and they can see the magnitude of what’ll happen when they do it.”

Hadler said seeing the reaction from those involved in the bridge effort made the decision meaningful.

“I’ve never seen people so energized after I did this,” she said. “They just went to, ‘Oh my gosh, now it could really happen.'”

Hadler said the donation was made in honor of her mother.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com