New Span Concrete Symbol of Healing in Community

MOORPARK —  Though it won’t ease the pain or profound loss for the family of 11-year-old Joel Burchfield, Saturday’s dedication of a footbridge across the now inches-deep Arroyo Simi brought a sense of closure for both the family and community that grieved his untimely death.

“It’s truly touching,” said Joel’s grandmother, Elizabeth Burchfield, as she stood at the foot of the concrete span. “It’s going to be so much better now for the families and kids in this neighborhood. No one will have to worry anymore.”

More than 200 people, including Moorpark Mayor Patrick Hunter and several city officials, gathered to witness the dedication. The group gathered near the banks of the Arroyo Simi not far from the spot near the end of Liberty Bell Road, where it is believed Joel was swept to his death by the rain-swollen stream in January 1996.

His body was found a day later by a search party more than seven miles downstream.

“I feel so much better now that it’s finally here,” said Cynthia Loubet as she held the hands of her 7-year-old daughter, Kathryn, and 11-year-old son, Luis.

“It’s been a long time coming.”

Begun more than eight months ago, the 161-foot-long Arroyo Vista Community Park Access Bridge will connect neighborhoods and their scores of children with the park’s green fields and playgrounds.

Although the bridge will not be named after Joel, it carries a plaque, purchased by the Conejo Valley Masons Lodge, that reads, “For all the children who will pass this way. Joel Burchfield.”

“For anyone who asks who Joel was, my answer would be that he was a neat kid,” said Steve Cooley, former master of the Conejo Valley Lodge. “He was a good boy who left the footprints of a giant.”

Saturday’s ceremony was accompanied by streams of tears, particularly after Joel’s best friend, 13-year-old Steve Hiserman, wept at the podium. But it also marked a new beginning for a community that was galvanized by the tragic death, because it was one to which many residents could relate.

“Joel was like everybody’s kid, and that’s probably why it hit everyone so hard,” said Creig Nicks, assistant principal of Chaparral Middle School, who attended the ceremony with his two children. “It’s sad that it took him to finally get this built.”

Those who live here say Moorpark is a community characterized by its slower pace, tree-lined streets, good schools and caring neighbors.

But the Arroyo Simi has been a constant worry for these residents, particularly during winter when the rains transform it from a gentle run to a racing torrent.

Long before Joel’s death, residents voiced concerns about the risks of children trying to cross the arroyo to get to the park or to get home from school, as Joel did. But bureaucratic red tape kept any bridge from being built, and it wasn’t until after the boy’s drowning that residents turned up the heat.

Southern California Edison, which owns the southern portion of land along the arroyo, had planned to develop the property, but finally relented after residents repeatedly petitioned officials and packed City Council meetings.

“This bridge is so much more than just a structure,” Mayor Hunter told the crowd gathered for the dedication. “It’s a symbol of our community’s unity and undying perseverance.”

Although a bridge could have saved his son’s life, Dan Burchfield, who visited the bridge every Sunday while it was being constructed to check its progress, carries no grudge. Instead, he sees the concrete span as a proud reminder of a boy known for his wit and his contagious laugh.

“Looking at it makes me sad and happy,” Burchfield said. “It reminds me of Joel, but seeing it there is a relief because now I know all the kids here will be safe.”