By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
Just over 18 months have passed since the devastating hail storm and straight line winds ravaged the Indianwood corridor resulting in crushed vehicles, roofs blown off houses, and trees uprooted.
In that time, residents? insurance claims have been processed and those roofs and other damages have been fixed.
But despite the improvements around the area, Evergreen Cemetery appears to still be showing the wounds it received from that day and people have noticed. The Review has received several letters to the editor and phone calls regarding the current condition of the cemetery where many of this area’s founders are buried.
On Sept. 9 2015, Lake Orion resident Rodger Smith submitted to The Review his concerns about the Evergreen Cemetery:
‘When will this project be completed? Do you plan to leave this beautiful cemetery looking like this? The names on the headstones appear to be the town’s founders. Is this how their final resting place should be kept?
‘It’s a real shame this cemetery and the one on Orion Road are not kept in better condition. Oxford keeps their cemeteries at the same level as their community’s parks. They are well maintained and it’s clear they have great respect for their community’s final resting places.?
Evergreen Cemetery, which has plots dating back to 1818, is located at the corner of N. Park Blvd and Church Street and extends west towards North Shore Drive. It’s separated into two lots: the east and the west. They’re separated by N. Axford Street and the East cemetery runs alongside M-24 while the West Side continues down Church Street.
The West side part of Evergreen was the cemetery hardest hit and was probably the area that had the most uprooted trees from the storm.
Eastlawn Cemetery, which is the only other cemetery the village maintains, is located at 1060 Orion Road and is twice the size of Evergreen. Eastlawn Cemetery was out of the path of the 2014 storm and being a much newer cemetery it appears to be in much better condition.
Walking through the western side of Evergreen cemetery there are still areas of disrepair. Of the 647 visible headstones, 63 are either leaning or slanted, 23 are completely broken and 21 are partially buried beneath the earth.
The retaining walls from six family plots have deteriorated, leaving rubble and pieces of cracked cinderblock scattered amongst those plots. Several marble cornerstones from those plots, emblazoned with the letter of their name, have since chipped away and have rolled down the hilly landscape.
Fallen tree branches litter the aisles and planter boxes have been turned on end.
Due to the extensive damage caused by the storm, the chain link fence that ran alongside Axford and Church was removed. According to Village Manager Darwin McClary there are no plans to replace that section of the fence.
The Village Council voted in 2014 not to replace the fence, citing, ‘the fence did not provide any security to the cemetery as it was not gated,? McClary said. Additionally, the removal of the fence would give the cemetery a ‘park-like? feel. Although a new section of chain-link, non-decorative fence was quoted and would cost $7,000.
So who’s responsible for maintaining the cemetery?
The answer to that question is dependent on what exactly is to be maintained.
The Village has appropriated $45,985 for the 2015-2016 fiscal year for cemetery maintenance and upkeep at both Evergreen and Eastlawn. That funding goes towards grass mowing, trimming, tree trimming, weed control, leaf pickup road grading, plowing, burials, installation of grave marker foundations, water line maintenance and removal of grave blankets. The money is also used for up-keeping Eastlawn’s pavilion and storage building.
Maintenance is done weekly but on a ‘as needed? basis by Village DPW and when asked about the maintenance schedule, Village DPW Director Jeremy Richert refused to comment.
When it comes to headstones and memorials, McClary said the village does not maintain headstones nor do they move them if they believe doing so would cause damage. Additionally, they do not draw funding from an endowment trust which many cemeteries have in order to aid in routine maintenance and memorial repair or replacement.
‘The village does not generate enough revenue through lot sales to be able to accept complete and comprehensive care of the cemeteries,? McClary said. ‘Families, heirs, descendants are responsible for headstones, although the village will be responsible for damage caused by the village.?
What poses another problem is contacting the families or heirs of those plots that have been damaged or have deteriorated over time. The village only has records of the original owners of the cemetery lots and does not have contact information about their heirs or decedents.
In looking around to the surrounding communities, Oxford Township oversees and maintains their three cemeteries which covers 27 acres of land.
Oxford Township Clerk, Curtis Wright, who oversees the cemeteries, said they have budgeted $52,000 for general routine maintenance.
Oxford contracts with a private company to handle the landscaping and Wright says they couldn’t be happier with that decision.
They contract with Lake Orion resident Brian Duerden and his landscaping company BAM Landscape Lawn Care LLC.
‘He’s been our contractor for about 15 years and he does a job that we hope he never leaves us,? Wright said. ‘He does such a great job and he treats the cemetery like it’s his own and it’s just unbelievable what he’s done with it on our behalf.?
When a large headstone falls over, Oxford will pay a company to come in and lift the head stone back in place.
‘We’ve had several old, and pretty prominent markers that needed a truck and hoist to lift them, but they were on the ground and pretty unsightly,? Wright said. ‘They were a really nice, decorative monument so we took it upon ourselves to put the expense to get those back in place.?
They too faced storm damage years ago and had the dilemma whether to replace the fence or not. Like Evergreen in 2014, various sections of fence had significant damage. But Wright wanted the fence to be replaced given the history associated with a fence being there since the establishment of the cemetery.
He also noted that because the deer population in Oxford, a fence helped with deterring wildlife that would regularly eat the flowers and plants left by family visiting their loved ones.
‘We took the initiative because it’s part of the cemetery, it defines your boundaries and it’s also for the aesthetics of cemetery,? Wright said. ‘You lose the definition of your corners and without a fence you’d allow people to come in there freely when we were not open.?
McClary said the village has located additional cemetery records in the basement of their facility that may be able to provide more information but it will take them some time to organize it. Their goal is convert many records to an online database.
As far as funding, the village is able to levy up to one mill in taxes to provide more comprehensive maintenance of the cemeteries. The mill, which could be levied at a lower amount, would generate $112,500 annually of which $23,400 would be captured by the DDA leaving the village with $89,100 based on a 2015 taxable value.
McClary stated he’d be open to talking with the village council about their interest in having the council discuss this option.
‘Evergreen Cemetery is a beautiful, old, historic cemetery, with many headstones that proudly show their age and contributions to our community. In contrast, Eastlawn is a much newer cemetery.’The village provides the same care, maintenance, and upkeep for both cemeteries.? McClary said. ‘I would love to hear from citizens regarding this issue, The village will continue to provide ordinary and routine maintenance for Evergreen Cemetery in perpetuity.?