Weather, manpower make life difficult at Calcutta cemetery

CALCUTTA -- Weather conditions and lack of manpower have contributed to the issues many are complaining about at Columbiana County Memorial Park Cemetery (CCMPC), according to employees of the non-profit entity.

Complaints about lack of maintenance have surfaced from many who have loved ones buried at the cemetery, often known as the "cemetery with the cross," but office manager Becky Merritt said other cemeteries are having many of the same issues.

Merritt said CCMPC was plotted out in 1936 and has always been operated as a non-profit association, governed by a nine-member board. It consists of 50 acres in use with another 50 acres available, with 17,000 graves on the premises at this time.

Therein lies the rub, she said.

"We only have two guys. We have 17,000 graves and markers and 50 acres with two people. We try to have five guys in the summer, but we don't know if they're going to stay. Nobody wants to do it anymore. When someone quits, there's nobody to call," Merritt explained.

She said, "We can't get anyone to work. It's mostly the salary. One worked a month, said he had enough money to buy his games and quit. There's a whole different mind set (among potential employees)."

According to Merritt, the two employees -- four or five on a good day -- work from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day during good weather just mowing the 50 acres of cemetery land, noting it isn't quite like mowing one's private lawn.

"If you nick a rock in your yard, you keep going. Here, it would be someone's marker," she pointed out, saying for that reason, mowing goes slower.

"If they have time, they try to weed around every grave," she said, adding that, with 17,000 graves, weeding every one individually is not always possible.

Cutting grass is just one of the chores involved with maintaining the cemetery, Merritt said.

"In the spring, they will have a lot of work, trying to fill in ruts and graves, re-seed, installing markers, and it's the same two guys who mow grass, dig the graves and do all the work," she said, adding, "And, when a funeral is here, everything stops out of respect. When (those gathered for the funeral) leave, they can start work again."

One issue that prompted a firestorm of controversy were recent photos posted on social media showing deep, muddy tire tracks in the cemetery, which Merritt blamed on the constant rainy weather this year that has caused standing water throughout the cemetery.

"The backhoe tires sink into the ground as soon as they put down the bucket. And with the rain and mud, the backhoe makes tracks and makes ruts. Even when they put down plywood (to run the backhoe over), it slips down," Merritt said.

Also a problem is the fact there is no running water throughout the cemetery as in some cemeteries, meaning a water buffalo must be trundled through the facility at times, which also leaves ruts, Merritt said.

Addressing complaints about the gates being closed, Merritt said that was due to the roads through the cemetery being covered with snow and ice, which she said created a liability issue.

The cost of a grave today at CCMPC is $675, compared to $40 in 1936 when it was first started, yet the graves of all those buried there receive the same attention, according to Merritt, even though a new law makes it impossible for the cemetery board to access much of the funding taken in.

She said a percentage of the grave cost goes into a fund that "can't be touched until every grave is sold and there is no other income. We have money in the bank but we can't touch it, according to state law."

According to Merritt, "We take out loans because we can't use that money. Right now, we're paying off a new Toro mower. They didn't even alert us that they changed the law about this money," she said, adding the law changed during the past few years.

Merritt said other cemeteries are having the same issues, not just CCMPC, but emphasized, "It's hard trying to explain all this. All they think is, 'This is my mom's grave and it's a mess.' But it's an active cemetery. There are always going to be accidents; they are always going to be digging out there; things are going to happen out there; it's unavoidable."

She continued, "We all have family members buried out here. If I visit and the grave needs trimmed, I pull the weeds. I don't care, it's not a big deal. There is a lady who is 80 years old who brings her own clippers and clips around her son's grave. She never complains. I think people should sweep the grass, leaves and snow off . No way should we do that. No way can we do that."

Superintendent Jason House, who is one of the two full-time employees who maintains the facility, agreed that weather has been the biggest factor in its current condition, saying, "Actually, it's the same every year but a bit different this year.The messes we're having happened a lot earlier because it was wet all summer. Unfortunately, now we have messes before Christmas."

He said, however, "It's not site exclusive to this cemetery. You can find it in all cemeteries this year. It's worse than usual because it never really dried out. It's just so swampy, we really can't do anything. Some things we are just putting off and just praying for the ground to freeze."

When a funeral is planned, he said, there is no choice and they must use the equipment on the soggy ground, noting, "It's heavier than a lawn mower," and subsequently, makes even more ruts and mud.

In the specific case mentioned on social media regarding muddy ruts, House explained there had been a burial on a hillside after it had rained three days, which he said, "made a little bit of a mess," followed by another burial nearby two days later, which magnified the mess due to the backhoe having to go into the same area and then becoming stuck and necessitating a wrecker to be pulled out.

"Stuff like that happens. For others to say we don't care or that we do it on purpose blows my mind. I really care for the cemetery and I love my job," House said, adding that he constantly reminds new workers of the responsibilities involved with where they are working.

As for perpetual care, or a perceived lack of it, House emphasized, "If you are buried here, you automatically receive perpetual care. As long as I'm employed here, you will be taken care of forever."

House said that, while he knew there were problems in the cemetery with the rain and mud, he was unaware of the "Facebook blowup," saying, "I don't do Facebook. If people need to contact me, they should come straight to me. By the time it was even brought to my attention, it was already four days in (social media). I could tell many people didn't understand the work involved."

To this day, he said, he has not received a phone call from the woman who initially complained on social media and said he has no way of contacting her since the office has no phone number for her.

"My job is to be here for anyone who comes through those gates. I'm that guy. That's why I'm here. All they have to do is call me," House said, adding anyone who does not have his number can get it from the office.

jgilbert@mojonews.com