By Eric Francis, Standard Correspondent
QUECHEE – The long anticipated construction of the new “pocket park” between the Quechee Covered Bridge and the Simon Pearce mill has begun and so far town officials expect it will be wrapped up on schedule near the end of August.
“Site demolition began two weeks ago and although there were some things we thought were connected underground that it turns out weren’t connected it didn’t prevent the re-grading of the site from starting,” explained Hartford Planning & Development Director Lori Hirshfield.
“It’s finally happening and so we’re happy!” Hirshfield added.
Hartford Town Manager Leo Pullar confirmed on Tuesday that so far crews have “essentially done all of the demolition and the materials removal,” at the site, clearing the way for actual restoration of pedestrian friendly features to the once-scenic area.
The next step will be the installation of a series of large blocks of concrete that have been pre-cast with a “rock-like appearance” that will wrap around the base of the park facing the waterfall.
Once the concrete work is begun, something that is expected to commence in about ten days time, the rest of the project “should go fairly quickly,” Pullar said.
The pocket park, which is ultimately the replacement for a real estate office that was destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, will consist of three basic layers: the sidewalk level streetscape, a winding path incorporating handicapped access down into the center of the slope, and the observation deck area overlooking the falls and the rocky outcrops underneath the covered bridge itself.
This article first appeared in the June 29, 2017 edition of the Vermont Standard.