Babb’s Bridge, the covered bridge over the Presumpscot River that connects Windham and Gorham, has holes in the roof.

Although the holes are fairly small, it exposes the wooden deck of the bridge to the elements, defeating the roof’s purpose. The holes are on the edge of the shingled roof in the middle of the bridge, and are just the right size for someone to crawl through.

To state Sen. Gary Plummer, R-Cumberland, who visited the bridge Monday to inspect the damage, the holes’ size and location are no coincidence, given that the rope-swing next to the bridge has made the location a popular one since his youth.

“If you look inside, you can obviously tell that they cut the boards to get out on the roof so that they could jump off the roof of the bridge,” Plummer said. “I don’t think it was done just with the intent of vandalizing the bridge, but it was done with the intent of, ‘Give us a way to climb up to the roof and jump off the roof of the bridge.’ ”

To Plummer, the damage is an eerie reminder of the origins of the 37-year-old landmark on Covered Bridge Road off River Road. It was constructed in the mid-1970s as a replica of the original Babb’s Bridge, which was built in 1864 and destroyed by arson in 1973.

“I remember coming over the morning after and just standing looking at the charred timbers,” Plummer said. “It was almost like people were mourning or grieving over the bridge.”

Following the arson and much community outcry, the 106th Maine Legislature appropriated $75,000 for the Maine Department of Transportation to build the replica, on the condition that the towns of Windham and Gorham protected “the new bridge against vandalism and destruction by fire by adequate police protection, or insurance coverage, or a combination of both.” If the bridge were destroyed by “fire, vandalism or otherwise,” the state would only replace it with a conventional steel or concrete bridge, according to the bill.

Plummer said he is concerned that if the bridge were destroyed again, state funds would not be made available for another replica. On Monday, as Plummer toured the site with Linda Griffin, the president of the Windham Historical Society, a half-dozen youth were relaxing at the site and frequently climbing through the new hole in the roof in order to jump into the river. They appeared unperturbed by the red and white “No Jumping or Diving From This Bridge” sign posted above the arched entrance into the bridge.

According to Tim Cusick, the Department of Transportation’s superintendent of operations for southern Maine, the state owns the bridge. Cusick said jumping and diving is not allowed on any state-owned bridges, and that local public safety departments are responsible for policing the bridges. Cusick said he had visited the site to see the damage, and had asked bridge engineer John Buxton to look into the matter.

“We wish people certainly wouldn’t punch holes in the bridge, but I’m not sure what the long-term fix is,” Cusick said.

The interior of the bridge is covered in graffiti, and there are two other holes, at the center of the base of each of the bridge’s two main walls.

The Windham and Gorham police chiefs said they were not aware of the new holes in the roof. According to Gorham Police Chief Ron Shephard, enforcement of the bridge is split between the two towns. Windham Police Chief Richard Lewsen said his officers had not reported the hole in the roof because they were monitoring other parts of town.

“They’re pretty busy during the day,” Lewsen said. “Really busy during the day.”

Shepard said that Gorham officers monitor the bridge when possible.

“That bridge has been there forever and obviously there are times that people will do damage to the bridge and whatnot,” Shepard said. “It will go on for a period of time and everything’s fine. It’s kind of sporadic.”

Dusti Faucher, a board member of Friends of the Presumpscot River who used to live near the bridge, said she has lobbied the Windham police for increased enforcement of the bridge in the past.

“I was on the Windham Conservation Commission for a long time and we went to the police in Windham to ask for more patrols and for them to take care of the people who are doing the graffiti and ripping the boards off,” Faucher said. “And you know they were very agreeable, but it just seems to never have happened. I think it’s a shame, because Windham touts it as an attraction. They put the picture of Babb’s Bridge on everything, and it’s been actually woefully neglected. It’s a mess.”

“Both towns could make an effort to clean that place up,” Faucher added. “I think it’s a shame. I think it’s an absolute shame.”

The two police chiefs said they had no comment on Faucher’s criticism.

According to Griffin, the second Babb’s Bridge was inaugurated on the nation’s bicentennial in 1976 when a fife-and-drum militia led a parade through it. Griffin said that the covered bridge, one of nine in the state, is a popular tourist destination.

“People come and expect to see it not rotting and full of holes,” Griffin said.

In recent weeks, large holes have appeared in the roof of graffiti-covered Babb’s Bridge in Windham, allowing divers to access the roof and rain to penetrate to the deck.