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On Sunday, September 19, people from across the city of Richmond are invited to come together in healing and celebration as they help dedicate a new pedestrian bridge named for the Harvey family in Forest Hill Park. Beginning at 2 p.m., musicians, a balloon artist, children and families will be there as city officials cut the ribbon on the bridge across Reedy Creek where it flows into the lake. Friends of Forest Hill Park will unveil a granite marker nearby. Access to the site is by paved pathway downhill from 42nd Street and New Kent Avenue, or by steps accessible from 34th Street near Stonewall Avenue.
The new bridge—strong, safe, and handsome—replaces a temporary crossing built after Hurricanes Isabel (2003) and Gaston (2004) raged through Virginia, taking out trees, power lines, storm sewers—and the original bridge in Forest Hill Park. During the last six years, the City of Richmond has worked to repair and reclaim much of what was destroyed by these storms.
But this bridge is also a response to disaster of another kind: the unspeakable tragedy that took the lives of the Harvey Family on January 1, 2006. Bryan, a nationally recognized rock musician, and Kathy, co-owner of Richmond’s popular World of Mirth toy store, along with their daughters Stella (9) and Ruby (4), were killed by intruders in their South Richmond home near Forest Hill Park.
When the replacement bridge was first proposed by the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities, Friends of Forest Hill Park (FFHP) suggested that the new bridge become a focal point for healing and joy in memory of the Harveys, and as a bond of friendship between South Richmond’s Woodland Heights and Forest Hill neighborhoods, which flank the park to the east and west. Last spring, City Council unanimously approved a proposal put forth by Fourth District City Council Member Kathy Graziano to name the new bridge in honor of the Harvey Family.
According to Paige Harvey, Bryan’s sister, the family is pleased with the bridge dedication. “It’s a touching memorial to Bryan, Kathy, and the girls,” she noted. “They loved their neighborhood and Forest Hill Park. They frequently took advantage of all it had to offer and would have really enjoyed the improvements to the lake and the new bridge.”
Last spring, when FFHP put out a request to the community for funds to help cover the cost of a granite and bronze marker to be placed near the bridge in memory of the Harvey Family, there was an immediate and very generous response from individuals, families, and groups. Significant funds were donated by the neighborhood associations of Woodland Heights, Westover Hills, and Forest Hill. In all, some $2,500 was raised in just three days. According to Monica Rumsey, marker project coordinator for FFHP, “Our hope is that dedicating the bridge in their memory will help heal many emotional wounds, and will encourage families from across the city to enjoy this park, as the Harveys did. This bridge and the marker will be a connecting point for all of us, a beautiful way to remember their brief lives.”
For more information, please contact Monica Rumsey, Marker Project Coordinator for Friends of Forest Hill Park at 804-233-7361. |
