The Eldred Township supervisors approved a resolution last week to seek a $25,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Monroe County to help cover the cost of the demolition of the Smale house. The house is located next to the historic Stone Arch Bridge in Kunkletown.

Supervisor Susan McGinty said, “Earlier this year, we submitted a grant request to Monroe County through the redevelopment program to remove the Smale house. We decided last year that to retain the Smale house was not really going to be beneficial to the township.”

McGinty explained that the house has mold issues.

“The Redevelopment Authority is requesting that we sign the resolution requesting the $25,000 grant and designate an authorized signer,” she said.

Both McGinty and Supervisor Scott Clark, the chairman, approved the resolution. Supervisor Jessica Keller abstained.

Jonathan Gula, the supervisor of the Public Works Department, gave an update on progress to preserve the Stone Arch Bridge.

Gula said he met earlier this month with engineers, a person working on the environmental studies, and a specialist in historical stone buildings and bridges.

“I got a history lesson about the Stone Arch Bridge,” he said. “So the most interesting thing that he told me — my numbers might be a little bit off — is a one-foot by one-foot by one-foot stone weighs 100 pounds. OK? So when that bridge was made, a four-wheeled wagon could hold 3 to 4 tons, so they only moved 30 to 40 stones at a time in a wagon. … Those stones weren’t like from Bethlehem or from Allentown, they were probably from within a one-mile radius of the Stone Arch Bridge. Same thing with the lime.”

Gula explained that the way clay was made and at that times and how it was processed in a furnace meant that a kiln probably was nearby along the creek.

“Everything from that bridge was sourced probably within one mile of it, so pretty cool,” Gula said.

The specialist also told Gula that all stone arch bridges have two arches, with one arch being larger than the other.

“Every stone arch bridge is built that way. Your big arches are the main arch, and the second one was put in in case the first one got blocked. That was the bypass. The small one was always a bypass,” Gula said.

The age of the bridge is unknown. The specialist said it may have been built in the late 1800s, but some in the township think it was in the early 1800s, Gula said.

As for the structural integrity of the bridge, there is some pushing out of the wall on the east side, as well as a spot pushing out on the other side of the bridge.

“So there’s a little bit of structural damage done to the bridge. It’s not, from what he said, detrimental to it; it’s just going to be a little bit more work,” Gula said about the engineer.

Gula said he was told that in the 1970s, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation used a product called gunite, which was a specialized cement they sprayed on structures.

“They did the arches with that. That’s one of the biggest problems. You almost have to like sandblast it out, and then use some scour protection,” Gula said. “It’s not all doom and gloom, just a little bit.”

“They want us to clear out as much vegetation and trees around it as possible. The more sunlight we can get on it, the more sunlight that will hit it, and the less moisture that will penetrate through it. It’ll dry it out,” Gula said. “The gunite doesn’t allow water to pass through fast, so the gunite is holding the water in the arch.”

Gula said the held water reacts with the chemical structure of the bridge and weakens the mortar, which damages the bridge.

The engineers also pointed out that a pipe from the parking lot is draining toward the base of the bridge.

“We’re going to excavate back, like 30 feet, and we’re going to put a 22-degree elbow on the pipe,” Gula said. “We’re going to discharge the water away from (the bridge) to protect that part of the structure.”

As for environmental studies, no bats were found in the bridge, so that was good news.

McGinty said, “They’re moving forward, and so that’s a good thing.”

In September 2025, McGinty reported that the township was awarded three grants for the Stone Arch Bridge project. One was for $92,398, the second for $90,000, and a third for $750,975. The total was $933,373, of which 5% ($46,668.65) would go back to the Monroe County Industrial Development Corp.