ONE FAMILY'S QUEST TO SPARE OTHERS THEIR SORROW LEADS TO SAFE PASSAGE FOR CHILDREN : GROUND BROKEN FOR BRIDGE OVER DROWNING SITE.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer To Dan Burchfield, it was fitting that it rained during Saturday's Arroyo Simi bridge groundbreaking ceremony: It was on a day much like this that his 11-year-old son, Joel, died while crossing the rain-swollen creek. It was a morning of mixed emotions for Burchfield and his family, because, though the ceremony brought back painful memories, the Burchfields know the bridge will prevent other families from suffering through the pain of a similar tragedy. ``It's kind of apropos ap·ro·pos adj. Being at once opportune and to the point. See Synonyms at relevant. adv. 1. At an appropriate time; opportunely. 2. ,'' Burchfield said after the ceremony. ``At first, I didn't want it to happen so everyone would show up. Afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here I thought, this is the way it should be.'' As it turned out, nearly 200 people attended the short ceremony despite the rain, sitting in chairs under blue canopies or huddling under umbrellas to witness the official beginning of construction of the bridge. The ceremony - which included a poetry reading by Burchfield and the ceremonial groundbreaking in which 8-year-old son Ryan and other youngsters participated - took place almost one week to the day before the anniversary of Joel's death. On the afternoon of Jan. 31, the Chaparral Middle School Chaparral Middle School could refer to
Officials at the time theorized that the water, normally just a few inches high, was a few feet high and apparently knocked the youngster off his feet. The $600,000 project, long planned by the city, had stalled stall 1 n. 1. A compartment for one domestic animal in a barn or shed. 2. a. A booth, cubicle, or stand used by a vendor, as at a market. b. for legal and other reasons, said Mayor Pat Hunter. He credited the Burchfields' concerted effort following the death of their son with giving the project the necessary push to get it going. Meanwhile, to prevent similar tragedies, volunteers from the Moorpark Police Resource Center had teamed with volunteers from the community and local organizations to prevent children from crossing the creek to and from school, he said. Youngsters were instead directed to the Spring or Tierra Rejada road bridges, he said. Because of the family's efforts, the various agencies involved in the project tied up all the unresolved Not completed; not finished; not linked together. See resolve. issues, Hunter said. ``The driving force of the Burchfields and the assistance they provided reminded us to never overlook the bridge and its importance to the community,'' Hunter said. Construction of the 161-foot pedestrian A pedestrian is a person travelling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case historically. History Walking is the primary means of human locomotion. , equestrian equestrian a rider of horses. and bicycle bicycle, light, two-wheeled vehicle driven by pedals. The name velocipede is often given to early forms of the bicycle and to its predecessor, the dandy horse, a two-wheeled vehicle moved by the thrust of the rider's feet upon the ground. bridge - which will be strong enough to accommodate emergency vehicles - is expected to begin Monday and likely will take six to eight months to complete, he said. ``It's our hope that, by this time next year, there will not be a need for another child to cross the arroyo,'' Hunter said. Dan Burchfield read a poem about an old man who crossed ``a chasm, vast deep and wide, through which was flowing a sullen sul·len adj. sul·len·er, sul·len·est 1. Showing a brooding ill humor or silent resentment; morose or sulky. 2. Gloomy or somber in tone, color, or portent: sullen, gray skies. tide,'' then turned around and built a bridge where he had crossed. Asked by ``a fellow pilgrim near'' why he was wasting his time building a bridge where he would never cross again, the old man replied: ``There followeth after me today a youth whose feet must pass this way. . . . Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.''' And digging into the hard, wet ground with a shovel was Joel's brother Ryan, who had help from several of his and Joel's friends. ``I couldn't have done it without them - it would have been the smallest hole,'' Ryan said. Helping in the digging was Joel's friend and baseball teammate Stephen Hiserman, who said that participating helped him deal with some of the pain of losing his best friend. ``I feel good, or better, because now it's safe to cross,'' the 12-year-old said. Joel's mother, Laura, said she felt some satisfaction seeing that her and her husband's efforts have resulted in construction of the bridge - which will be built next to a park for the Villa Campesina neighborhood - finally getting under way. It helps her deal with the lingering lin·ger v. lin·gered, lin·ger·ing, lin·gers v.intr. 1. To be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry. See Synonyms at stay1. 2. grief, she said. ``I feel at least a sense of closure.'' CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--Ran in Conejo and Simi--color) Dan Burchfield with his wife, Laura, reads poetry in memory of their son. (2--Ran in Conejo and Simi--color) The bridge groundbreaking drew friends and family of Joel Burchfield out into the rain Saturday in Moorpark. (3--Ran in Conejo and Simi) Kristina Pelletiers, center, comforts Alison Yadon, both 13, as they remember Joel Burchfield, who drowned in the Arroyo Simi at age 11 last year, during Saturday's groundbreaking for a bridge. Jeremy Greene/Special to the Daily News |
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