Staff Report
Hartford police and fire personnel retrieved the body of a woman from Quechee Gorge on Wednesday (July 13, 2016) morning, as officials meet to discuss the task of installing suicide prevention measures — a task they were given by state law in May.
Police received a call about a possible suicide Tuesday night. At 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, the walkways on the gorge bridge were blocked off with police tape and officers were peering over the edge of the gorge bridge, down to a body below. The woman was identified as Holly Blackie, 51 of Randolph, by Police Chief Phillip Kasten. This is the second reported death by suicide at the gorge this year and the fourth since 2013.
“I’ve been here 30 years, and this is probably my 30th,” said Hartford Fire Marshal Mike Bedard. “I’ve definitely had my fill of them.”
The suicide comes as officials are discussing the first of several planned measures at the gorge, following the passage of Act 158, which approved signage, communication devices and the study of other short- and longterm measures.
The bill in May tasked the Agency of Transportation with completing a project at the Quechee Gorge Bridge “on or before” July 1 “or as soon as practicable thereafter.”
“The communication with various stakeholders has taken longer than expected,” said Agency of Transportation Division Director for Policy, Planning and Intermodal Development Michele Boomhower.
The safety improvement project at the gorge is being undertaken in two phases, Boomhower said.
The Agency of Transportation met June 29 and discussed installing “hope holders,” birdfeeder-like boxes with information inside explaining where to seek help. Boomhower said the AOT is working with families of victims and mental health professionals to determine the appropriate verbiage and expected the hope holders would be installed by August.
A committee, headed by Jackie Cassino, a regional transportation coordinator with the AOT, held a meeting recently, according to Lori Hirshfield, director of Hartford’s planning and development department and member of the committee.
“I think we’re all trying to move as quickly as we can,” said Hirshfield.
The bill further required the Agency of Transportation to work with local businesses, the Department of Health, first responders and mental health practitioners to find a longterm prevention measure and present it to the legislature by Jan. 10.
The AOT has contracted with the company, DuBois and King, Inc., to analyze what options are as far as communications devices, such as a phone system, signage and structural improvements, such as netting goes. A mental health care specialist will be involved in those improvements.
This article first appeared in the July 14, 2016 edition of the Vermont Standard.