SACO — The end to years of discussion and debate may end Monday evening.

The City Council is scheduled to vote whether to approve a rehabilitation or replacement project for the Stackpole Creek Bridge.

The Stackpole Creek Bridge is a stone keystone arch bridge on Simpson Road built in 1848.

The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2013. In the same year, Maine Preservation put the bridge on its annual list of Maine’s most endangered historic properties.

Discussions whether to replace or rehabilitate the bridge has been going on for about 15 years.

In November, residents voted to allow the city to borrow up to $990,000 to reopen the bridge, which is currently closed to automobile traffic.

Since then, the city has received six different proposals.

The option preferred by city staff and a consultant from CLD engineering firm would replace the bridge and cost $951,600, according to city documents. This proposal they say would be the best value and provide the lowest long-term risk of failure and recurring maintenance costs, and the city would be committed to work with neighbors on facade details, according to city documents.

The option preferred by The Friends of Stackpole Bridge, a local group which formed in advocacy of preserving the bridge, would rehabilitate the bridge at a cost of $937,500, and would require a $5,000 for debris removal after flooding incidents, and periodic concrete deck and decorative structure maintenance, according to city documents. This option, say the Friends of Stackpole Bridge, would preserve a structure with an established long track record, and would bring a certified stone mason onto the team, according to city documents.

City staff say this option relies on water flow through stone walls which could clog over time, and the proposal does not meet current earthquake standards.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].