FAIRVIEW CEMETERY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
May 12, 2008
Mayor Bill Goncy:
Members of Council:
On Wednesday, May 7, 2008, the Cemetery Trustees bought 18 "Wichita Blue Juniper" trees, a spirea, and a lilac bush for the cemetery. This being the `Mother's Day" weekend, we had hoped to have the cemetery looking its best. Instead, it was an embarrassment to us and to the community.
We had asked Jim Robinson to fill the hole that appeared when the old septic system was replaced. It was a very large hole and had been there for some time. He said he would fill it but didn't know when he would get around to it. The hole needed to be filled before the trees could be put in. The trustees thought that two or three years was long enough to wait to get this job done, so we filled it ourselves. Mr. Robinson left the straw and the grass seed for us, as he said he would, but parked a large truck right in front of the top soil and mulch. It was very hard for us to get to the materials we needed. Also, on this important weekend, when families were coming to honor their mothers, the cemetery was not even mowed.
Thanks to the hard work of Ron Fenn, Terry Brannan, Chris Fenn, Brian Fenn, Glen Blakeney, Dawn Brannan and her daughter Terri, Patty Fenn and her children Tyler and Molly, and Carol Fenn the trees and shrubs were planted and many of the holes and low areas of the cemetery were filled and seeded.
After all the planting, it needed to be watered. Mr. Robinson had turned all the water off. We asked the police officer on duty to contact Mr. Robinson and ask him to turn the water on. The officer was informed that Mr. Robinson would be there in 15 or 20 minutes. It was well over an hour before he showed up. In the meantime, we found the water valve and turned it on ourselves. Mr. Robinson's utter lack of cooperation with the trustees and disregard for the cemetery can no longer be tolerated.
As the work was being done on the cemetery, people were coming in to place flowers on graves. One couple brought their own fill dirt, grass seed and weed eater because their graves had needed work on them for so long. Carol Fenn went over to talk to them. There were holes all around their tombstone and it had been hit by some piece of equipment and actually turned on its base. This stone is going to need work done on it and there are many more stones in the same condition. They stated that they liked this cemetery, but it sure wasn't being kept up the way it used to be. Carol apologized and told them that we were trying to rectify the problems and hoped to have the cemetery once again looking like it did when Mr. Vern Chamberlain was sexton.
As you walk through the cemetery, you can't help but think about all the military buried there from the Revolutionary War right on down to the present day. They deserve better care than they are getting from Fairview Cemetery at this time. The history of this cemetery dates back to the settling of the Western Reserve. There is so much in this cemetery to be proud of. We have pleaded with the mayor and the council cemetery committee to see to changes that we fill are needed, all to no avail. Why is it that family members of the cemetery trustees can spend four hours in the cemetery and do more work than the sexton can in the last three years?
The Cemetery Trustees would like to thank Ray McFall for his help in getting top soil and mulch for the cemetery and also for his help in preparing for the Memorial Day service. We would also like to thank Carol Zeman for her help with a cemetery deed problem and for assisting us with the MeMorial Day service.
Fairview Cemetery Board of Trustees,
Carol Fenn
Patty Fenn
Kim Brannan