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By Carl Chancellor
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 12:02 p.m. EDT, Jun 16, 2008
Robert and Carolyn Conley won't rest until the city's iconic All-America Bridge is fenced.
The West Akron couple went before City Council's public safety committee last month to plea for a fence to ring the bridge, more commonly known as the Y-Bridge, which has a notorious reputation for suicides — an average of almost five each year.
The Conleys believe such a fence might have prevented the death of their son, Kevin, 20, who jumped from the Y-Bridge on March 30, 2006.
The idea of fencing the 3,400-foot bridge, which begins at North Main Street, stretches across the Cuyahoga Valley and splits into two spans as it reaches downtown, is not new. Citizens have petitioned for fencing nearly a half-dozen times since the bridge was erected in 1981.
This time it might happen.
During last month's safety committee meeting, city officials said they were adamant about finding a way to fence the bridge.
''The public want us to take this step,'' said Dave Lieberth, the city's deputy mayor. ''We are going to do this one way or another.''
The Conleys first joined the effort to install some sort of a protective barrier on the bridge several months after their son's death.
City officials were receptive to the proposal, but balked at the price: $880,000 for chain-link fencing and nearly $6 million for clear acrylic panels.
Securing funding for the fencing remains a problem. Lieberth said there is no money in the city's capital budget to pay for fencing, which is now estimated to cost about $1.8 million.
But Lieberth said it might be possible to include the fencing in the resurfacing of the bridge's deck, which will be partially funded with federal dollars. That project could come as soon as next year.
That would be welcome news for the Conleys, both teachers, who remain devastated by their son's death.
Carolyn's large eyes watered as she gently caressed one of several scrapbooks filled with photos. ''We cry a lot. It is something you carry with you all the time.''
Her husband adjusted his glasses and stared out into space. ''It hurts every day. The pain never goes away,'' he said.
The Conleys' spoke lovingly — at times laughing — as they sat at their dining room table and remembered the young Korean boy they adopted when he was just 2 years old.
The boy, whose life is chronicled in hundreds of photos, appeared carefree — a youngster who enjoyed practical jokes and made friends easily.
He was an outstanding wrestler at Walsh Jesuit High School and equally in the classroom.
Drugs, depression But around the age of 15, Kevin's life derailed. He began to withdraw and started smoking marijuana to deal with depression. ''We believe he was self-medicating,'' his mother said. Kevin's grades dropped and he transferred to Firestone High. His desperate parents got him into a half-dozen different drug treatment and counseling programs. Robert Conley heaved a deep sigh. ''We just couldn't understand what was going on . . . He lost his interest in being happy and alive.'' Kevin struggled through and was able to graduate in 2004. A few months later he moved from his parents' house and into Sober House, a home for recovering addicts. He also began working at Bruegger's Bagels in the Merriman Valley. His parents were optimistic about his future. ''The last six months of his life I would pick him up every morning, five days a week, at 4 in the morning to take him to work. He was always up waiting for me,'' his father said. ''We thought he was turning the corner.'' When Robert came to pick up his son for work early on the morning of March 31, Kevin wasn't there waiting. The Conleys would get the tragic news of Kevin's death a few hours later. Questions remain The Conleys are still searching for answers. ''He didn't leave a note,'' his mother said. Robert Conley speculated his son may have ''just decided to walk around. He was walking across the bridge and a psychotic thought struck him. ''If the fence was there it might have given EMS the time it needed to arrive,'' he said, his voice trailing off. ''Maybe in the five minutes it would have taken him to climb the fence he might have changed his mind.'' The Conleys said they are willing to relive the nightmare of their son's death if that will help secure the bridge. ''If Kevin has to be the poster boy for the Y-Bridge, so be it,'' said Robert Conley.
Impulsive act Andrea Denton, with the Summit County Suicide Prevention Coalition, supports fencing for the bridge, but voiced concern about publicizing the issue. ''Our goal is preventing suicides,'' she said. ''Often it is a momentary, impulsive decision to jump. That's why it makes me nervous doing anything about the bridge. This could give some people an idea.'' Denton said the people taking their lives by jumping from bridges make up only a fraction of the county's suicides. According to statistics kept by the suicide prevention coalition, from 2003 through 2007, 337 Summit County residents committed suicide. Twenty-one of those deaths were the result of jumping from a high place. Denton urged anyone thinking about causing harm to themselves to call the SUPPORT Hotline (Portage Path Behavioral Health) at 330-434-9144, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 (TALK).
Carl Chancellor can be reached at 330-996-3725 or cchancellor@thebeaconjournal.com.
Robert and Carolyn Conley won't rest until the city's iconic All-America Bridge is fenced.
The West Akron couple went before City Council's public safety committee last month to plea for a fence to ring the bridge, more commonly known as the Y-Bridge, which has a notorious reputation for suicides — an average of almost five each year.
The Conleys believe such a fence might have prevented the death of their son, Kevin, 20, who jumped from the Y-Bridge on March 30, 2006.
The idea of fencing the 3,400-foot bridge, which begins at North Main Street, stretches across the Cuyahoga Valley and splits into two spans as it reaches downtown, is not new. Citizens have petitioned for fencing nearly a half-dozen times since the bridge was erected in 1981.
This time it might happen.
During last month's safety committee meeting, city officials said they were adamant about finding a way to fence the bridge.
''The public want us to take this step,'' said Dave Lieberth, the city's deputy mayor. ''We are going to do this one way or another.''
The Conleys first joined the effort to install some sort of a protective barrier on the bridge several months after their son's death.
City officials were receptive to the proposal, but balked at the price: $880,000 for chain-link fencing and nearly $6 million for clear acrylic panels.
Securing funding for the fencing remains a problem. Lieberth said there is no money in the city's capital budget to pay for fencing, which is now estimated to cost about $1.8 million.
But Lieberth said it might be possible to include the fencing in the resurfacing of the bridge's deck, which will be partially funded with federal dollars. That project could come as soon as next year.
That would be welcome news for the Conleys, both teachers, who remain devastated by their son's death.
Carolyn's large eyes watered as she gently caressed one of several scrapbooks filled with photos. ''We cry a lot. It is something you carry with you all the time.''
Her husband adjusted his glasses and stared out into space. ''It hurts every day. The pain never goes away,'' he said.
The Conleys' spoke lovingly — at times laughing — as they sat at their dining room table and remembered the young Korean boy they adopted when he was just 2 years old.
The boy, whose life is chronicled in hundreds of photos, appeared carefree — a youngster who enjoyed practical jokes and made friends easily.
He was an outstanding wrestler at Walsh Jesuit High School and equally in the classroom.
Drugs, depression But around the age of 15, Kevin's life derailed. He began to withdraw and started smoking marijuana to deal with depression. ''We believe he was self-medicating,'' his mother said. Kevin's grades dropped and he transferred to Firestone High. His desperate parents got him into a half-dozen different drug treatment and counseling programs. Robert Conley heaved a deep sigh. ''We just couldn't understand what was going on . . . He lost his interest in being happy and alive.'' Kevin struggled through and was able to graduate in 2004. A few months later he moved from his parents' house and into Sober House, a home for recovering addicts. He also began working at Bruegger's Bagels in the Merriman Valley. His parents were optimistic about his future. ''The last six months of his life I would pick him up every morning, five days a week, at 4 in the morning to take him to work. He was always up waiting for me,'' his father said. ''We thought he was turning the corner.'' When Robert came to pick up his son for work early on the morning of March 31, Kevin wasn't there waiting. The Conleys would get the tragic news of Kevin's death a few hours later. Questions remain The Conleys are still searching for answers. ''He didn't leave a note,'' his mother said. Robert Conley speculated his son may have ''just decided to walk around. He was walking across the bridge and a psychotic thought struck him. ''If the fence was there it might have given EMS the time it needed to arrive,'' he said, his voice trailing off. ''Maybe in the five minutes it would have taken him to climb the fence he might have changed his mind.'' The Conleys said they are willing to relive the nightmare of their son's death if that will help secure the bridge. ''If Kevin has to be the poster boy for the Y-Bridge, so be it,'' said Robert Conley.
Impulsive act Andrea Denton, with the Summit County Suicide Prevention Coalition, supports fencing for the bridge, but voiced concern about publicizing the issue. ''Our goal is preventing suicides,'' she said. ''Often it is a momentary, impulsive decision to jump. That's why it makes me nervous doing anything about the bridge. This could give some people an idea.'' Denton said the people taking their lives by jumping from bridges make up only a fraction of the county's suicides. According to statistics kept by the suicide prevention coalition, from 2003 through 2007, 337 Summit County residents committed suicide. Twenty-one of those deaths were the result of jumping from a high place. Denton urged anyone thinking about causing harm to themselves to call the SUPPORT Hotline (Portage Path Behavioral Health) at 330-434-9144, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-8255 (TALK).
Carl Chancellor can be reached at 330-996-3725 or cchancellor@thebeaconjournal.com.
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