Cashmere approves Crunch Pak pipe bridge over Sunset Highway

CASHMERE — When Crunch Pak returned to the Cashmere City Council on April 13 with its long-discussed plan to span Sunset Highway with a pipe bridge, the company did not ask the room to imagine much.

Drew Dalgetty, the company’s vice president of production and operations, stood beside a large rendering mounted on an easel, pointing to a finished vision of the crossing. The image showed a clean span between buildings, framed with street trees and signage reading “Cashmere WA – Est. 1904,” giving council members and staff a clear sense of how the structure could look in place.

At the same time, Cashmere’s Director of Operations Steve Croci brought up a 3D model on screen, rotating through angles and distances to show how the bridge would sit above the roadway, how far supports would extend from the buildings, and how it would relate to sidewalks, trees and utilities along the corridor.

For much of the room, that level of detail answered the biggest questions up front.

The proposed bridge would carry apple byproduct from one facility to another, eliminating the need for forklifts to cross Sunset Highway. Dalgetty said the current operation costs the company roughly $700,000 a year in lost efficiency, while also creating unnecessary traffic across the street.

The goal, he said, is to keep that movement overhead and off the roadway while continuing a series of upgrades the company has already made to its facilities.

As discussion moved from function to appearance, council members generally responded positively to what was shown, including the signage concept built into the rendering. The idea of the structure as a kind of entry marker into town drew support, with council member Joyce Williams noting that whatever is built “is going to talk to the town.”

Council member Chris Carlson, however, said he was not ready to support the design as presented.

Looking at the rendering, Carlson raised concerns about how the structure would read over time, particularly given its permanence along a main route through Cashmere.

“I just worry it’s going to be there forever,” he said, adding that he would have difficulty supporting the project without additional design elements.

Carlson suggested adding an arch to the top of the structure. After some clarification that he was not proposing a change to the pipe itself, but rather an ornamental feature above the span, the discussion settled on the idea of enhancing the bridge’s profile rather than altering its function.

Dalgetty said the company could accommodate that request.

He described an arch as “feasible” and said Crunch Pak is open to incorporating one into the final design, while noting the need to balance aesthetics with visibility and engineering considerations.

“We don’t want to make it too distracting,” he said.

Other council members weighed how much emphasis the structure should carry visually. Some cautioned against drawing too much attention to it, while others supported Carlson’s push to treat it as a more intentional feature along the corridor.

Council ultimately approved the special use permit, with the expectation that the design will return with refinements reflecting that discussion.

The decision moves forward a long-discussed project, while signaling that the final version of the bridge will likely include additional architectural detail beyond the initial proposal.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media