The Local Bridge to Nowhere?

This one is probably going to get me in trouble. Oh well. The City of Salem has approved a new pedestrian bridge to Minto Island. It has already agreed to pay the tourist sternwheeler $250,000 not to poke its bow into the slough so the bridge can cross. Quoting from the city's own website on the project:


"Design, permitting, and construction of both Bridge and Trail is expected to cost approximately $8,500,000."
                                                      www.cityofsalem.net/mintobridge

Today's paper reported that the same City of Salem is trying to partially shut down a new fire station in West Salem because of budget problems. The city manager reports that the city is $10.5 million in the hole. 


Am I missing something? We are building bridges for joggers and hikers and shutting down fire stations? I don't care what the funding source is ("It's Federal money; it's state money...) the problem is that government at all levels is spending too darn much money. I like this project and would no doubt use it if and when it is built, but c'mon - this is exactly the wrong time to do it!