As some say, sometimes its best to get the bad news over with first, so we'll do that here.
As we start off this new week in May, we learn sad news about increasingly deteriorating conditions causing serious problems at Columbiana Memorial Park located in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Excerpt from story.:
"Residents say things have changed.
Since about a year ago the grounds at Columbiana County Memorial Park have not been maintained.
The grass is growing high, weeds are covering plots, dirt is piling up, grounds are settling in and some people have even lost their loved ones headstones.
So, many have started cleaning their own loved ones grave sites."
Now on to the positive news!
Sharing from Stark County, Ohio.
Plain Township Cemetery, also known by alternate names.
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This story illustrates how a single person's passion for proper preservation with an eye toward saving a cemetery's history, and preparing it for the future at the same time, can make a huge difference!
Good references in this article about townships taking over cemeteries when a cemetery lacks an owner. It is important to see that in print so readers know how the system is supposed to work.
Sadly, with newer association owned private cemeteries, we have learned about how some were left in the dust by the previous owner and townships were reluctant to step up immediately and start assuming full responsibility for the "orphaned" cemetery.
Some of the reasoning for this is legitimate because townships know they do not have the resources nor manpower to properly handle them. These situations can lead to adopting receivership arrangements to fill the void as stopgap measures --measures which sound good and can help until it goes on too long and new problems surface that need to be resolved. That is how 'the system' is set up, however.
