Cemetery board hears complaints from public

Hillcrest Cemetery District trustees heard complaints about weeds and overgrown grave markers from a dozen people at Monday night’s board meeting.
 Tom Anderson said he has relatives buried at the cemetery and was upset when he visited graves on Memorial Day. It was a chore to find the gravestone of a relative because of the weeds and overgrowth.
 Anderson said Memorial Day weekend is an especially emotional time for people with family members buried at the cemetery.
 He questioned why the elected cemetery district officials didn’t see the problems weeks prior to the holiday and take action.
 A former county commissioner, Anderson said he received 40 phone calls from people who were at the cemetery over Memorial Day and were upset with conditions.
 “I’m kind of representing quite a few people who couldn’t be here,” he said.
 He said he didn’t want to point fingers at anybody. He wanted to start a discussion on what the plan is to fix the problem.
 Cemetery district trustee Ron Bruce said the previous sexton of many years retired and was replaced by a new grounds manager. The training of the new sexton might not have been long enough to learn everything there is to know about upkeep.
 “We kind of got caught off guard,” Bruce said. “I think we’re feeling the consequences.”
 Cemetery district officials said they will bring in lawncare experts to assess how to do a better job of maintaining the grass. They also plan to hire additional spraying help to knock down weeds.
 Kayt Matheson said her husband loved this part of Idaho and wanted to be buried at the Weiser cemetery.
 She has been here four times and conditions have gotten worse. Her husband’s grave was matted weeds. The overgrowth didn’t happen overnight, she said.
 “I wouldn’t let my boys come up here and see this,” she said.
 Cemetery board president Steve Penner said board members, who are all volunteers, have been doing their jobs.
 They knew there were problems, some of which are long-term issues to be worked out, and took pages of notes on conditions when they toured the cemetery.
 “I want to assure you that we are aware of all the issues you raised and we’re dealing with them as best we can,” he said.
 Trustee Karma Laan said nobody called her to complain about conditions at the cemetery. People posted negative comments on social media instead.
 One idea that came out of Monday’s meeting is to possibly have a volunteer workday at the cemetery for people who would like to help out prior to Memorial Day.
 Anderson said Weiser is a caring community and 50 people would show up to help out if asked.
 “This is our cemetery. That’s the least we can do,” he said.
 The Hillcrest Cemetery District also oversees the Mann Creek Cemetery. There were complaints about weeds and vegetation overgrowth there as well.