Funding
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
Private vs government funding has its advantages and disadvantages. Governments have more money if you can get it. And it comes with strings.
With private funding we get to hire who we want, how we want and buy stuff where we want. The last three bridges were built cost plus and we worked with the contractors crew. When we came up with labor savings it flowed to our bottom line.
With State money everything has to be bid and one puts up with what a low bid gets you. However, that State in one grant gave us at least two years worth of alternate fund raising.
Once we got momentum some people wanted to be part. Pay for a bridge and you get to name it and have a sign acknowledging the contribution. We chose to have our name on a rock sitting bench.