Pictured from left are Oakwood Cemetery Board of Regents member Ellen Hoffer, sexton Hal Heagy and Board President Ken Locke. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union.

By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

WARSAW — Sexton Hal Heagy updated the Oakwood Cemetery Board of Regents Thursday, Aug. 1, on the work that has happened recently at the cemetery.

With the recent storm, Heagy said the cemetery had a lot of damage. It took the cemetery staff about a week, with help from the Warsaw Street Department, to get things cleaned up. There were 40 or 50 loads of wood the cemetery staff cleaned up. Heagy gave kudos to everyone who did the work.

Earlier in the meeting, Heagy said the stonework has been completed at the front entrance of the cemetery. The bushes that were at the entrance have been removed. Heagy said the project went really well and the entrance looks clean. He doesn’t know what he wants to put on in the entrance yet, whether flower beds is something they want to do or not. He suggested benches might be put there.

The cemetery has ordered a powerwasher trailer. Heagy said cemetery staff does a lot of powerwashing and cleaning and he currently uses a makeshift trailer and tank to do that. Heagy said he is having a powerwasher trailer built by E.F. Rhoades & Sons, Pierceton. It’ll have dual tanks, so it’ll have 600 gallons and will be available for other departments to use.

Heagy also said the cemetery purchased a rock bucket accessory from Bobcat for the skid steer to help when clearing dirt.

He said the sidewalk is shifting in Cremation Garden No. 3 leading to the Garden of Angels. He plans to tear out the concrete and a paver walkway will be made in the fall.

Board member Dave Baumgartner brought up a concern someone approached him about recently. He said someone approached him about some graves that appeared to be unattended with weeds around the graves, but didn’t give specifics. Baumgartner was asked who attends to those graves if there’s no family members around.

Heagy said the cemetery takes care of weeds and the family doesn’t have to look after it. However, the cemetery is about 100 acres and they can’t get everything done in one day.

However, he said if someone sees something like that to let him know. Oakwood Cemetery administrative assistant Leigh Ann Denlinger does keep a list of things to get done, he said.

In other business, the board heard:

• Cemetery staff completed the planting of 17 trees at the Warsaw Police Department. The trees were of different varieties, but were mostly maple trees.

• Heagy ordered another 500 cards with QR codes for the historical walk on Sept. 14.