The Citizen staff report

With frustration on Haiti Island growing, the town of Mentz called a special meeting at 7:30 p.m. tonight to discuss the bridge closed since Saturday because of safety concerns.

A sign posted on the door of Mentz Town Hall, 14 Mentz Drive, Port Byron, announced the meeting. The state Department of Transportation recently completed a review of the Haiti Island bridge with an engineer reviewing the data for the town.

A Bailey bridge was constructed essentially within the shell of a structure breached by a snowplow about 17 years ago. Open only to pedestrian traffic since a portion of the original bridge fell into the Seneca River, town officials are expected to reopen the Route 38 connection to all terrain vehicles today.

Some island residents said the situation was growing more difficult by the day with fuel and water supplies running lower on a hot Thursday afternoon. One couple said the limited connection to the mainland goes beyond inconvenience.

"An inconvenience is running out of gas a mile before the station -- this is an emergency," said Mary Manwaring, who has lived on the island with her husband, Fred, for about 13 years.

It would cost about $2 million to replace the bridge outright. The town is exploring funding options.

For more reaction from island resident, along with coverage from the meeting, read the Friday edition of The Citizen.