New Cemetery 13 Miles Ahead!

They say two things we can’t escape are taxes and death. And when poor families are faced with the unfortunate experience of losing a family member, the City Council has proposed a new idea that will not ease the suffering any. They have come up with a “brilliant” plan to transfer the old capital’s burial ground far away from town, truly separating the living from the dead.

The troubling news of opening up the next cemetery 13 miles out of town leaves many residents asking a heap of questions, primary among them are: how can I afford now to pay a fleet of vehicles for that kind of transportation and, how much will a grave space now cost?  Well that is the least concern of the City Council as now this bright idea is being hastily shoved down the throats of residents. That’s because the visionless Council waited until only about 10 more grave spaces are left before they broke the news that the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery has now peaked in capacity.

That graveyard has been in use since the 1800’s and has served its time, having been expanded and filled at its newer sections to accommodate the growing demands.  But the more recent fillings have proven to be less than acceptable because several of the graves in that section have shown visible signs of cracking and sinking, while neighboring yards occupied by people in the area have been flooded out due to poor planning and draining issues.

When they took the media on a tour of the current and proposed sites, there were blatant shortcomings already.  While a Ministry of Health official said that the land is between 19 and 24 feet above sea level and graves won’t sink or crack from inferior quality work, some people tell this newspaper that that is hogwash.  An experienced grave attendant said that City Hall will run into similar problems at Mile 13 as is the case now at Lord’s Ridge.  He said that’s because while the Lands Department, said to be a partner in the new proposed project, says there will be a more orderly and sterner building codes to follow, there will not always be someone to monitor that is being done, especially since the human resources at City Hall and Housing are stretched so thin.  And that will lead to chaos.

The condition at the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery has gotten so deplorable that graves almost appear desecrated because of the terribly haphazard way the place was filled up.  The stench fills the air every time a new corpse is laid to rest because within days the tomb either sinks or falls apart because of the unsteady soil and the poor quality construction of the tombs done by private contractors.

But at the new location, even if the gravesite itself is sturdier, the access road from the highway is questionable.  When the media toured the area this week, they had to wade through almost two feet of murky water to get to the actual graveyard. That too appeared to have been another oversight by City Hall. In fact, not even the SUV they travelled in could make it through the clay, posing another concern for families needing to bury their loved one urgently.

Another concern is that while there are only 10 spots left at Lord’s Ridge, work on the new cemetery is nowhere in sight since no works have started as yet for a smooth transition.  And with only $60,000 allocated so far for the new facility, many are left to wonder how serious and competent this City Council is in meeting the needs of the residents, both alive and dead.

| | | | | |