The Spencerport Lift Bridge team with the Spencerport Lift Bridge and Best Bridge 2011 flag in the background, left to right: Sam Mullins, Al Lovell, Team Supervisor Tim Leverenz, and Bob Russell.Last December the New York State Canal Corporation announced top honors for canal facilities along the 524-mile-long canal system. The Spencerport Lift Bridge, under the supervision of Timothy Leverenz, received first place honors.
According to Leverenz, this is the fifth time in six years that the Spencerport Lift Bridge has won the designation. A Best Bridge 2011 flag to recognize the Spencerport Lift Bridge was presented prior to the opening of the canal in May and now flies on the bridge.
The 2011 inspection took place last fall when Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton and other officials toured the canal and its facilities by boat, rating them on 37 items included in several categories such as safety, housekeeping, and preventive maintenance.
“Behind each supervisor whose name is listed stand crews of dedicated and hardworking men and women who make the Canal system run smoothly and efficiently. There is a spirited competition among facilities in each category to maintain high standards of performance,” Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton stated in a press release.
The Spencerport team of bridge tenders which also maintains the Adams Basin lift bridge, includes seasonal workers Al Lovell, Bob Russell, and Sam Mullins. Along with operating the lift bridges, they also check along the canal for leaks and potential problems
The 2012 inspection is tentatively scheduled to take place in late August. Besides the Best Bridge award, Canal Corporation also gives awards for first, second and third place lock, best tug, best tender and Section of the Year.
