Sunday, June 29, 2008
The need for a cemetery district is growing
It shall be noted that 20 years later, the Lewis & Clark Cemetery is joining in the effort to create a lasting solution for the care and maintenance of all the cemeteries in this Clatsop county. Economics is becoming a growing problem for this cemetery, as it is for most other cemeteries in the county. We like for any one who happen to read our blog to participate in this very important effort to preserve and make all these cemeteries the important part of the heritage of our county.
Lewis and Clark Cemetery: The Challenge
This report was written by Liisa Penner on the 19th Day of February, 1988
The Riverview Cemetery~ was recently donated to the Lewis and Clark Cemetery Association by John H. Reith, whose family had owned it for almost a hundred years.
The Challenge:
The Lewis and Clark Cemetery Association is only a little over a year old. It developed out of the desire of members of the Netel Grange on Logan Road to clean up the cemetery. The cemetery was in such poor conditon that families were having their relatives reinterred at other cemeteries. Jorgen Madsen, who is the Netel Grange Master, and Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Marxen and Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Nielsen were members of this Grange committee. About this same time, Evelyn Leahy Hankel and Marie Oesting challenged the Clatsop County Genealogical Society to find and record information from all the cemeteries in the county. On behalf of this group, I called members of the Netel Grange for information about the Lewis and Clark Cemetery and was invited to join their efforts in trying to preserve this cemetery. At our first meeting in December 1986, we decided we needed to get help from the community. We held a public meeting on January 25, 1987 and invited all who were interested in the cemetery to attend and suggested to them that they elect officers and take steps to form an association. George Fulton had agreed to do the complicated work of setting up a non-profit organization. Denney Thompson and Michael Leamy addressed the people who attended (about 50) about the requirements of setting up a cemetery association. Jorgen Madsen explained to the group the need for doing something now to preserve the cemetery. Officers were chosen: Jorgen Madsen, President; Gib Marxen and Chuck McBride, Board Members, and; Liisa Penner, Secretary. Later, George Fulton suggested that the Secretary become a member of the board. (Two more board members were chosen in April, Gunnar Johanson, who has volunteered to take over the duties of Treasurer and Carl Peterson. Still later, Jim Peyok was chosen to be greenskeeper and Nathaneel Christensen was chosen to be responsible for the flag).
The main concern of the people attending the first general meeting was what it would cost to clean and preserve the cemetery, and how would money be raised to pay it. These concerns were discussed at later board meetings and at another general meeting held April 7, 1987. It was decided that the best way to fund the work of improvement of the cemetery would be to ask for donations. A small amount of money would be used for buying spray to prevent the advance of the blackberries and salal. The rest of the money would go into a special fund. When the amount of this fund would reach a sufficient size, about $35,000, then we would use the interest that this amount of money would earn in the bank for the maintenance of the Lewis and Clark Cemetery.
The principal would remain untouched. Donations at this time have reached about $25,000, but we are still seeking more to insure that enough interest will be produced to pay for continuing clean-up.
We had a workday at the cemetery on May 3, 1987. So many people showed up with weed-eaters, lawnmowers and rakes that the cemetery was cleaned up in only a few hours. We learned that many people in the community did care about this place where their ancestors were buried.
Since then, the association has installed a flag pole which became the focus of attention on Memorial Day, the services for which were arranged by Bettie Ober. On May 21, the genealogy society worked on reading the stones. Those who worked were Bettie Ober, Bettie & Ted McCue, Lavina Jones, Joyce Morrell, Jim Dennon, John Birdeno and the writer. This book is the result of our work.
The Beginning:
A notice was placed in the Daily Morning Astorian dated October 10, 1897 that John W. Reith had filed a plat for the Lewis and Clark Cemetery. In the plat book at the Clatsop County Courthouse, this plat is recorded with the date of 22 January 1896. Two plat revisions were made, one in 1919 and another more recent one. Gelo Parker was the original surveyor. According to the only surviving sexton's book, (the others burned in a fire at the home of John H. Reith's son) the first listed burial took place about 1886. Burials are still being made in this cemetery, but only a few each year. In early years deeds for cemetery plots were recorded at the Clatsop County Courthouse. These deeds make it clear that the burial plot is the property of the purchaser, and his heirs, forever. Therefore, it follows that
the responsibility for the maintenance of the plot lies with the purchaser and his heirs. In years past, families visited the cemetery several times a year for an all-day outing and picnic and to clean up the graves. According to John H. Reith, in the last few years families rarely ever returned after a burial. The cemetery was on the point of being lost forever to the blackberries and fern. The records were nearly all lost, too, in a fire.
A year later, the cemetery is one of the best kept in the county. Enough money has been donated to insure that it will remain that way in the future. This book is the sum of our attempt to reconstruct the records that were lost.
Liisa Penner February 19, 1988
The Riverview Cemetery~ was recently donated to the Lewis and Clark Cemetery Association by John H. Reith, whose family had owned it for almost a hundred years.
The Challenge:
The Lewis and Clark Cemetery Association is only a little over a year old. It developed out of the desire of members of the Netel Grange on Logan Road to clean up the cemetery. The cemetery was in such poor conditon that families were having their relatives reinterred at other cemeteries. Jorgen Madsen, who is the Netel Grange Master, and Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Marxen and Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Nielsen were members of this Grange committee. About this same time, Evelyn Leahy Hankel and Marie Oesting challenged the Clatsop County Genealogical Society to find and record information from all the cemeteries in the county. On behalf of this group, I called members of the Netel Grange for information about the Lewis and Clark Cemetery and was invited to join their efforts in trying to preserve this cemetery. At our first meeting in December 1986, we decided we needed to get help from the community. We held a public meeting on January 25, 1987 and invited all who were interested in the cemetery to attend and suggested to them that they elect officers and take steps to form an association. George Fulton had agreed to do the complicated work of setting up a non-profit organization. Denney Thompson and Michael Leamy addressed the people who attended (about 50) about the requirements of setting up a cemetery association. Jorgen Madsen explained to the group the need for doing something now to preserve the cemetery. Officers were chosen: Jorgen Madsen, President; Gib Marxen and Chuck McBride, Board Members, and; Liisa Penner, Secretary. Later, George Fulton suggested that the Secretary become a member of the board. (Two more board members were chosen in April, Gunnar Johanson, who has volunteered to take over the duties of Treasurer and Carl Peterson. Still later, Jim Peyok was chosen to be greenskeeper and Nathaneel Christensen was chosen to be responsible for the flag). The main concern of the people attending the first general meeting was what it would cost to clean and preserve the cemetery, and how would money be raised to pay it. These concerns were discussed at later board meetings and at another general meeting held April 7, 1987. It was decided that the best way to fund the work of improvement of the cemetery would be to ask for donations. A small amount of money would be used for buying spray to prevent the advance of the blackberries and salal. The rest of the money would go into a special fund. When the amount of this fund would reach a sufficient size, about $35,000, then we would use the interest that this amount of money would earn in the bank for the maintenance of the Lewis and Clark Cemetery.
The principal would remain untouched. Donations at this time have reached about $25,000, but we are still seeking more to insure that enough interest will be produced to pay for continuing clean-up.
We had a workday at the cemetery on May 3, 1987. So many people showed up with weed-eaters, lawnmowers and rakes that the cemetery was cleaned up in only a few hours. We learned that many people in the community did care about this place where their ancestors were buried.
Since then, the association has installed a flag pole which became the focus of attention on Memorial Day, the services for which were arranged by Bettie Ober. On May 21, the genealogy society worked on reading the stones. Those who worked were Bettie Ober, Bettie & Ted McCue, Lavina Jones, Joyce Morrell, Jim Dennon, John Birdeno and the writer. This book is the result of our work.
The Beginning:
A notice was placed in the Daily Morning Astorian dated October 10, 1897 that John W. Reith had filed a plat for the Lewis and Clark Cemetery. In the plat book at the Clatsop County Courthouse, this plat is recorded with the date of 22 January 1896. Two plat revisions were made, one in 1919 and another more recent one. Gelo Parker was the original surveyor. According to the only surviving sexton's book, (the others burned in a fire at the home of John H. Reith's son) the first listed burial took place about 1886. Burials are still being made in this cemetery, but only a few each year. In early years deeds for cemetery plots were recorded at the Clatsop County Courthouse. These deeds make it clear that the burial plot is the property of the purchaser, and his heirs, forever. Therefore, it follows that
the responsibility for the maintenance of the plot lies with the purchaser and his heirs. In years past, families visited the cemetery several times a year for an all-day outing and picnic and to clean up the graves. According to John H. Reith, in the last few years families rarely ever returned after a burial. The cemetery was on the point of being lost forever to the blackberries and fern. The records were nearly all lost, too, in a fire. A year later, the cemetery is one of the best kept in the county. Enough money has been donated to insure that it will remain that way in the future. This book is the sum of our attempt to reconstruct the records that were lost.
Liisa Penner February 19, 1988
Monday, June 9, 2008
City of Cannon Beach endorses
Cannon Beach, May 7, 2008
By PAMELA ROBELThe Daily Astorian
Cannon Beach is the first to endorse cemetery district vote
Cannon Beach became the first city to endorse a proposed November ballot measure that would form a cemetery district in Clatsop County Tuesday.
In a 4-1 vote, the Council approved the idea moving forward to be put to the voters in November.Mike Leamy, who has been heading the ballot measure effort at all the City Council meetings in the county, addressed a laundry list of 15 questions presented to him by the Council during his presentation. Among those questions, were concerns about the structure of the proposed district's management, grounds maintenance and tax rate increases. The tax rate increase would amount to approximately $100 for a house valued at $500,000."They used to say, on the proposals, the rate on a $100,000 home would be (this amount)," said Leamy. "Now, a $100,000 is a fixer-upper."
The endorsement of the district was opposed by Councilman Jay Raskin who expressed concern about making a decision for the residents of Cannon Beach without hearing what they had to say in a public hearing.
"I was hoping there'd be public testimony," said Raskin. "Frankly, I don't have any sense of what the residents of Cannon Beach feel about this."
The endorsement, if mimicked by the other four incorporated cities in the county, allows the proposed cemetery district to be put on the November ballot but does not form the district. If the other cities in the county choose not to support the proposed ballot measure, Cannon Beach has the option to rescind its endorsement.
Councilman Sam Steidel said he thought the measure was a county matter and that by endorsing the proposed measure, the city was allowing county residents to vote on the district come November.
"I'm not going to be buried in a cemetery, period. Whether it's in Clatsop County or anywhere else," said Mayor John Williams. "My ashes are going to be scattered over the ocean, but I think out of respect for the people who have gone before us, and because of the historical aspect, I'd be willing to pay my $100 to support this."
NOTE:
We Thank the Cannon Beach City Council for endorsing our proposal, and especially we thank Mayor Williams for his statement, as this endorsement turned out to be one of the very last items Mr. Williams got to do for humanity. Sadly Mayor Williams passed on 3 days later.
By PAMELA ROBELThe Daily Astorian
Cannon Beach is the first to endorse cemetery district vote
Cannon Beach became the first city to endorse a proposed November ballot measure that would form a cemetery district in Clatsop County Tuesday.
In a 4-1 vote, the Council approved the idea moving forward to be put to the voters in November.Mike Leamy, who has been heading the ballot measure effort at all the City Council meetings in the county, addressed a laundry list of 15 questions presented to him by the Council during his presentation. Among those questions, were concerns about the structure of the proposed district's management, grounds maintenance and tax rate increases. The tax rate increase would amount to approximately $100 for a house valued at $500,000."They used to say, on the proposals, the rate on a $100,000 home would be (this amount)," said Leamy. "Now, a $100,000 is a fixer-upper."
The endorsement of the district was opposed by Councilman Jay Raskin who expressed concern about making a decision for the residents of Cannon Beach without hearing what they had to say in a public hearing.
"I was hoping there'd be public testimony," said Raskin. "Frankly, I don't have any sense of what the residents of Cannon Beach feel about this."
The endorsement, if mimicked by the other four incorporated cities in the county, allows the proposed cemetery district to be put on the November ballot but does not form the district. If the other cities in the county choose not to support the proposed ballot measure, Cannon Beach has the option to rescind its endorsement.
Councilman Sam Steidel said he thought the measure was a county matter and that by endorsing the proposed measure, the city was allowing county residents to vote on the district come November.
"I'm not going to be buried in a cemetery, period. Whether it's in Clatsop County or anywhere else," said Mayor John Williams. "My ashes are going to be scattered over the ocean, but I think out of respect for the people who have gone before us, and because of the historical aspect, I'd be willing to pay my $100 to support this."
******************************
NOTE:
We Thank the Cannon Beach City Council for endorsing our proposal, and especially we thank Mayor Williams for his statement, as this endorsement turned out to be one of the very last items Mr. Williams got to do for humanity. Sadly Mayor Williams passed on 3 days later.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Our Disappointment No. ---
5/13/2008
Seaside leaders won't support cemetery district proposal
City Council declines to make motion – effectively opposing the proposed concept
The Seaside City Council failed to make a motion supporting a proposed Clatsop County Cemetery District - effectively opposing it.
Before project supporter Mike Leamy began his presentation, he expressed a desire to honor Cannon Beach Mayor John Williams, who died unexpectedly Friday, "
I'd like to take a moment to honor the memory of Mayor John Williams," said Leamy. "One of his last official acts was to sign this resolution."
Leamy presented a revised business plan to the City Council that included changes to jobs titles, as well as a pared-down operating budget for the district. The initial district budget was approximately $364,000 and it has been reduced to $308,000.
Despite the revised proposal, some of the councilor had serious reservations about the district and voiced them during the meeting.
I appreciate Mike's efforts," said Councilor Tim Tolan. "But I feel like it's a burden of Astoria being pushed onto south county and that's why I'm opposed to this.
"Mayor Don Larson said his concerns stemmed from asking second home-owners to pay taxes for cemeteries they were unlikely to use."I think all of you know I always believe in voting," said Larson. He said, however, that he believed the residents of Seaside voted for him because they trusted his ability to vote on their behalf and that was why he was not able to support the proposed district. "We're being asked to bail out Astoria. I cannot support this because of our make up of second homes. We have about 50 percent second homes. I cannot obligate them to more taxes for something they will never use."
The two voices of dissent on the City Council came from Councilor Stubby Lyons and Dave Moore, who both cited several reasons for their support of the proposed district.
"I think the voters of Seaside should have an opportunity to vote on this," said Lyons. "I think the people of Seaside should be allowed to vote on how they want their loved ones buried."
Moore said his motivation for supporting the proposed district was in part because of learning that buildings were being built on top of abandoned cemeteries and also because of the cultural aspect involved in preserving older cemeteries in the area.
"I think it's a great idea," said Moore. "I think it shows the roots of a culture. ... I'm voting for it because of the benefits to the culture."
The deciding factor for many of the council members had to do with the inclusion of Seaside whether the residents voted for the district in November or not. Had the city supported putting the proposed district on the ballot and the residents voted against it, there would have been no way for the city to remove itself from the district.
"I'm going to vote against it if you don't let them out," said Councilor Larry Haller after hearing an explanation of how a resolution of support for the proposed district would bind the city to the district regardless of the votes of Seaside residents.
Seaside leaders won't support cemetery district proposal
City Council declines to make motion – effectively opposing the proposed concept
The Seaside City Council failed to make a motion supporting a proposed Clatsop County Cemetery District - effectively opposing it.
Before project supporter Mike Leamy began his presentation, he expressed a desire to honor Cannon Beach Mayor John Williams, who died unexpectedly Friday, "
I'd like to take a moment to honor the memory of Mayor John Williams," said Leamy. "One of his last official acts was to sign this resolution."
Leamy presented a revised business plan to the City Council that included changes to jobs titles, as well as a pared-down operating budget for the district. The initial district budget was approximately $364,000 and it has been reduced to $308,000.
Despite the revised proposal, some of the councilor had serious reservations about the district and voiced them during the meeting.
I appreciate Mike's efforts," said Councilor Tim Tolan. "But I feel like it's a burden of Astoria being pushed onto south county and that's why I'm opposed to this.
"Mayor Don Larson said his concerns stemmed from asking second home-owners to pay taxes for cemeteries they were unlikely to use."I think all of you know I always believe in voting," said Larson. He said, however, that he believed the residents of Seaside voted for him because they trusted his ability to vote on their behalf and that was why he was not able to support the proposed district. "We're being asked to bail out Astoria. I cannot support this because of our make up of second homes. We have about 50 percent second homes. I cannot obligate them to more taxes for something they will never use."
The two voices of dissent on the City Council came from Councilor Stubby Lyons and Dave Moore, who both cited several reasons for their support of the proposed district.
"I think the voters of Seaside should have an opportunity to vote on this," said Lyons. "I think the people of Seaside should be allowed to vote on how they want their loved ones buried."
Moore said his motivation for supporting the proposed district was in part because of learning that buildings were being built on top of abandoned cemeteries and also because of the cultural aspect involved in preserving older cemeteries in the area.
"I think it's a great idea," said Moore. "I think it shows the roots of a culture. ... I'm voting for it because of the benefits to the culture."
The deciding factor for many of the council members had to do with the inclusion of Seaside whether the residents voted for the district in November or not. Had the city supported putting the proposed district on the ballot and the residents voted against it, there would have been no way for the city to remove itself from the district.
"I'm going to vote against it if you don't let them out," said Councilor Larry Haller after hearing an explanation of how a resolution of support for the proposed district would bind the city to the district regardless of the votes of Seaside residents.
Let me tell You
6/7/2008
Let me make sure to all that anything in this blog will refer only to what work and progress is made in our effort to create a cemetery district for the whole county. In the my entries from here on I will refer with “we” to our meetings and what else “we” are doing in our committee, unless I refer to a specific person with his or her name. In other words, it is not what I do, but what we are doing as a group of people with the same goal in mind. It has taken a long time to create a feasibility study, but such study is at hand, and in the near future I will enter the study and its entire content. There has been a couple of small corrections in the study, and I like to double check with Mike Leamy, chairman of the committee, before I enter the study. Here we are in the first week of June of 2008, being a long time since we started this project. On top of all that, I am not at all a fluent computer operator, but after many a try, I believe I can get this on the internett. Anyone with a computer will now be able to follow our efforts, and is invited to render an opinion. Hopefully we will see possitive comments as well that can help us reach our goal of getting the proposal for a countywide cemetery district to the Clatsop Voters for their approval. I will continue to bring up what we have done until now, and after our next meeting has taken place on June 11, at the Astoria Senior Center, in Astoria, at 4:30 PM, I will beging to report on our efforts from event to event. By the way, our committee meetings are open to the public, and anyone reading this is welcome to attend.
Let me make sure to all that anything in this blog will refer only to what work and progress is made in our effort to create a cemetery district for the whole county. In the my entries from here on I will refer with “we” to our meetings and what else “we” are doing in our committee, unless I refer to a specific person with his or her name. In other words, it is not what I do, but what we are doing as a group of people with the same goal in mind. It has taken a long time to create a feasibility study, but such study is at hand, and in the near future I will enter the study and its entire content. There has been a couple of small corrections in the study, and I like to double check with Mike Leamy, chairman of the committee, before I enter the study. Here we are in the first week of June of 2008, being a long time since we started this project. On top of all that, I am not at all a fluent computer operator, but after many a try, I believe I can get this on the internett. Anyone with a computer will now be able to follow our efforts, and is invited to render an opinion. Hopefully we will see possitive comments as well that can help us reach our goal of getting the proposal for a countywide cemetery district to the Clatsop Voters for their approval. I will continue to bring up what we have done until now, and after our next meeting has taken place on June 11, at the Astoria Senior Center, in Astoria, at 4:30 PM, I will beging to report on our efforts from event to event. By the way, our committee meetings are open to the public, and anyone reading this is welcome to attend.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
What Did He Say?!
Pictured : Typical Neglected Gravesite Daily Astorian - 5-23-2008I have followed news of the proposed Clatsop County Cemetery District with interest. Maintenance of cemeteries is a concern, but a new government agency is not the answer. To keep costs down and maintenance up, alternatives requiring less government involvement should be explored. Possibilities might include creation of a maintenance endowment through tax deductible contributions amtasking historical societies to supervise truly historic cemeteries. Involving government creates problems: What happens to real estate and other assets, how are future rights to burial plots protected, and what happens to paid and volunteer labor currently doing this work? Tax support would unfairly come from many taxpayers who choose cremation and others who choose their final resting place elsewhere. If this problem must be solved now, let's look for nongovernmental solutions: this should cost less, provide more and better maintenance and allow this generation to control cemeteries where ancestors rest.J AMES C. CASTERLINE Gearhart
Thank you for showing interest in the Clatsop Cemetery District. A proposed idea for a Countywide Cemetery district for Clatsop County to care, maintain and restore the 17 known cemeteries in Clatsop County is not a new idea in Oregon. There are taxpayer-funded districts in many areas of Oregon, as there are 60 and more such cemetery districts in existence in Oregon. Example: The Rainier Cemetery District (10 cemeteries) is strictly funded by tax money and governed by 3 elected board members, and further the Echo Cemetery District in Hermiston is a separate taxation district with its own board of directors, just to mention 2. Clatsop County has 17 cemeteries, of which 8 or 9 are being in use, and are being cared for by a dwindling number of volunteers, and that is the crux of the matter. We are thinking different in this Country in comparison with most other countries in the world, namely that our deceased are buried in a 3X9 foot space that hopefully will be cared for in all eternity by “somebody” else. The family of the deceased seems to be the first and closest “somebody”, which might have been the solution in the olden days, when most families stayed put. However, that is no longer a workable solution for care and maintenance of most cemeteries. In the rest of the world a space in a cemetery is rented from the authorities, and a maintenance contract for so many years of care is signed and paid for up front. After a number of years such contract must be renewed or that same space will be used over by a different party. In our constant mowing society, who is going to come back and care for a lost friends final place of rest, very likely no one. The local people are then expected to take of their free time to look after those left behind grave sites. Unfortunately for many reasons such as more cremations and less full burials, income from services and sale of plots, from tax deductible donations and income from perpetual trust funds is decreasing at such rates, that there is no longer enough income to cover the cost of care, maintenance, restoration, record keeping of the Clatsop County Cemeteries. The taxpayers of City of Astoria heavily subsidize the Ocean View Cemetery where a greater number of Clatsop County Citizens prefer to be buried. Our proposed cemetery district will be electing 5 non-paid directors, one from each area of the County. There is more than 100 acres of cemetery grounds that needs to be cared for on a regular schedule, and that alone is an awful big job for any to get done on their free time. It is only fair to my mind that this job needs to be done to preserve the memory and history of those who went before, who laid down their hard work and consideration for those of us who are enjoying our days of high standard of living, and it is up to all the inhabitants of Clatsop County to share that burden.
Taxation needed to cover preservation?
The ravages of December storms continue to frustrate people dealing with their aftermath. With Memorial Day approaching, North Coast cemeteries are still cleaning up from the storms, but some of the damage will remain. "This December taught us - we can be proactive, or we can be reactive and wait until something fails," said Mike Leamy of Greenwood Cemetery. "That windstorm knocked over about 80 upright monuments."Some of the monuments that got knocked over broke."That's going to take some expertise to repair," Leamy said.Expertise means expense. He said one estimate he's gotten - just for repairing the 80 blown-over stones - is $6,000.And that doesn't account for the toll age is taking on the cemetery. Greenwood Cemetery in Astoria has nearly 14,000 graves, some of which are more than 150 years old. As things stand - relying on user fees - Greenwood takes in about four-tenths of
a penny per grave per month. "That doesn't go very far," Leamy said.Some revenue comes from fees for grave openings and closings. Most income for perpetual cemeteries comes when people buy a grave space. In perpetual care cemeteries a percentage of the grave sale goes to a trust fund whose interest maintains the cemetery. But the idea of perpetual cemeteries didn't come along until the 1950s - long after many of Greenwood's graves were forgotten about. There are three perpetual cemeteries in Clatsop County - Greenwood, Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton and Lewis and Clark Cemetery in Astoria. As society is changing, so are people's methods for dealing with their dead.Oregon is one of a few states where more people are cremated than buried, and Leamy said Clatsop County has a higher rate of cremations than many other counties in Oregon. Every cemetery in Clatsop County is considered historic, Leamy said. And because the cemeteries are so old, many are not only in need of maintenance, they are in dire need of repairs. "Deterioration demands, restoration demands, and reconstruction before (monuments) can be restored," Leamy said.Leamy has proposed that Clatsop County start a cemetery district to the county Board of Commissioners and to
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily AstorianMichael Leamy, the caretaker at the Greenwood Cemetery in Astoria, hopes to get a measure to establish a countywide cemetery district on the ballot in November to help restore and maintain local cemeteries. Leamy also chairs the Clatsop County Cemetery District Formation Committee.
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily AstorianA monument lays in disrepair at the Greenwood Cemetery after December’s windstorm blew over the spire and it snapped in two after hitting the ground. “This December taught us – we can be proactive or we can be reactive and wait until something fails,” said Mike Leamy, caretaker of the Greenwood Cemetery. “That wind storm knocked over about 60 upright monuments.”
Taxation needed to cover preservation?The ravages of December storms continue to frustrate people dealing with their aftermath. With Memorial Day approaching, North Coast cemeteries are still cleaning up from the storms, but some of the damage will remain. "This December taught us - we can be proactive, or we can be reactive and wait until something fails," said Mike Leamy of Greenwood Cemetery.
"That windstorm knocked over about 80 upright monuments."Some of the monuments that got knocked over broke."That's going to take some expertise to repair," Leamy said.Expertise means expense. He said one estimate he's gotten - just for repairing the 80 blown-over stones - is $6,000.And that doesn't account for the toll age is taking on the cemetery. Greenwood Cemetery in Astoria has nearly 14,000 graves, some of which are more than 150 years old. As things stand - relying on user fees - Greenwood takes in about four-tenths of a penny per grave per month. "That doesn't go very far," Leamy said.Some revenue comes from fees for grave openings and closings. Most income for perpetual cemeteries comes when people buy a grave space. In perpetual care cemeteries a percentage of the grave sale goes to a trust fund whose interest maintains the cemetery. But the idea of perpetual cemeteries didn't come along until the 1950s - long after many of Greenwood's graves were forgotten about. There are three perpetual cemeteries in Clatsop County - Greenwood, Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton and Lewis and Clark Cemetery in Astoria. As society is changing, so are people's methods for dealing with their dead.Oregon is one of a few states where more people are cremated than buried, and Leamy said Clatsop County has a higher rate of cremations than many other counties in Oregon. Every cemetery in Clatsop County is considered historic, Leamy said. And because the cemeteries are so old, many are not only in need of maintenance, they are in dire need of repairs. "Deterioration demands, restoration demands, and reconstruction before (monuments) can be restored," Leamy said.Leamy has proposed that Clatsop County start a cemetery district to the county Board of Commissioners and to municipalities in the county which have cemeteries. Cannon Beach last week endorsed a vote on a countywide cemetery district. Leamy wants the county to create the cemetery district so it can begin taxing its citizens."The view that we're taking is a preservation view," he said. "There are a lot of significant figures buried here." John Shively - who made the trip along the Oregon Trail two or three times in the 1840s and wrote about his travels - is buried at Greenwood.There are areas set aside for the Finnish Brotherhood, Elks groups, Redmen, Woodmen of the World, the Alaska Fishermen's Union, the Saint Nicholas Society and others.Leamy said formation of a funded district can only go on the ballot in May or November of an evennumbered year. He's hoping to have a measure on the November ballot.Leamy suggest the initial year of the tax rate to be 11 cents per $1,000 of assessed value of property."We will be looking at a permanent rate of 20 cents per $1,000 following that," Leamy said. "You have to prepare for the greatest burden, and for the long run"The reason to get the cities to come on board is that they already have existing services for their cemeteries. For a county district to take in those districts within cities, the cities have to approve. Otherwise they would not be parts of the district. Leamy said this proposal would provide funding that would spread the burden of caring for cemeteries across the county.But the cemeteries continue to decay. And heavy equipment can't be taken across the gravesites to perform repairs or they will cave in. "It's going to be by hand: It's going to be with hand tools," he said. "It's going to take years to repair the ravages of decades of years gone by."
a penny per grave per month. "That doesn't go very far," Leamy said.Some revenue comes from fees for grave openings and closings. Most income for perpetual cemeteries comes when people buy a grave space. In perpetual care cemeteries a percentage of the grave sale goes to a trust fund whose interest maintains the cemetery. But the idea of perpetual cemeteries didn't come along until the 1950s - long after many of Greenwood's graves were forgotten about. There are three perpetual cemeteries in Clatsop County - Greenwood, Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton and Lewis and Clark Cemetery in Astoria. As society is changing, so are people's methods for dealing with their dead.Oregon is one of a few states where more people are cremated than buried, and Leamy said Clatsop County has a higher rate of cremations than many other counties in Oregon. Every cemetery in Clatsop County is considered historic, Leamy said. And because the cemeteries are so old, many are not only in need of maintenance, they are in dire need of repairs. "Deterioration demands, restoration demands, and reconstruction before (monuments) can be restored," Leamy said.Leamy has proposed that Clatsop County start a cemetery district to the county Board of Commissioners and toALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily AstorianMichael Leamy, the caretaker at the Greenwood Cemetery in Astoria, hopes to get a measure to establish a countywide cemetery district on the ballot in November to help restore and maintain local cemeteries. Leamy also chairs the Clatsop County Cemetery District Formation Committee.
ALEX PAJUNAS — The Daily AstorianA monument lays in disrepair at the Greenwood Cemetery after December’s windstorm blew over the spire and it snapped in two after hitting the ground. “This December taught us – we can be proactive or we can be reactive and wait until something fails,” said Mike Leamy, caretaker of the Greenwood Cemetery. “That wind storm knocked over about 60 upright monuments.”
Taxation needed to cover preservation?The ravages of December storms continue to frustrate people dealing with their aftermath. With Memorial Day approaching, North Coast cemeteries are still cleaning up from the storms, but some of the damage will remain. "This December taught us - we can be proactive, or we can be reactive and wait until something fails," said Mike Leamy of Greenwood Cemetery.
"That windstorm knocked over about 80 upright monuments."Some of the monuments that got knocked over broke."That's going to take some expertise to repair," Leamy said.Expertise means expense. He said one estimate he's gotten - just for repairing the 80 blown-over stones - is $6,000.And that doesn't account for the toll age is taking on the cemetery. Greenwood Cemetery in Astoria has nearly 14,000 graves, some of which are more than 150 years old. As things stand - relying on user fees - Greenwood takes in about four-tenths of a penny per grave per month. "That doesn't go very far," Leamy said.Some revenue comes from fees for grave openings and closings. Most income for perpetual cemeteries comes when people buy a grave space. In perpetual care cemeteries a percentage of the grave sale goes to a trust fund whose interest maintains the cemetery. But the idea of perpetual cemeteries didn't come along until the 1950s - long after many of Greenwood's graves were forgotten about. There are three perpetual cemeteries in Clatsop County - Greenwood, Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton and Lewis and Clark Cemetery in Astoria. As society is changing, so are people's methods for dealing with their dead.Oregon is one of a few states where more people are cremated than buried, and Leamy said Clatsop County has a higher rate of cremations than many other counties in Oregon. Every cemetery in Clatsop County is considered historic, Leamy said. And because the cemeteries are so old, many are not only in need of maintenance, they are in dire need of repairs. "Deterioration demands, restoration demands, and reconstruction before (monuments) can be restored," Leamy said.Leamy has proposed that Clatsop County start a cemetery district to the county Board of Commissioners and to municipalities in the county which have cemeteries. Cannon Beach last week endorsed a vote on a countywide cemetery district. Leamy wants the county to create the cemetery district so it can begin taxing its citizens."The view that we're taking is a preservation view," he said. "There are a lot of significant figures buried here." John Shively - who made the trip along the Oregon Trail two or three times in the 1840s and wrote about his travels - is buried at Greenwood.There are areas set aside for the Finnish Brotherhood, Elks groups, Redmen, Woodmen of the World, the Alaska Fishermen's Union, the Saint Nicholas Society and others.Leamy said formation of a funded district can only go on the ballot in May or November of an evennumbered year. He's hoping to have a measure on the November ballot.Leamy suggest the initial year of the tax rate to be 11 cents per $1,000 of assessed value of property."We will be looking at a permanent rate of 20 cents per $1,000 following that," Leamy said. "You have to prepare for the greatest burden, and for the long run"The reason to get the cities to come on board is that they already have existing services for their cemeteries. For a county district to take in those districts within cities, the cities have to approve. Otherwise they would not be parts of the district. Leamy said this proposal would provide funding that would spread the burden of caring for cemeteries across the county.But the cemeteries continue to decay. And heavy equipment can't be taken across the gravesites to perform repairs or they will cave in. "It's going to be by hand: It's going to be with hand tools," he said. "It's going to take years to repair the ravages of decades of years gone by."THE OBJECTIVE
CLATSOP CEMETERY DISTRICT FORMATION COMMITTEE
Show me your cemeteries, and I'll tell you what kind of people you have. " ... Benjamin Franklin
Representatives of the various cemetery authorities in Clatsop County met and formed a committee to explore the possibilities of forming a countywide cemetery district. It is our primary objective to increase the awareness, and stress the importance of our historic cemeteries as sources of community pride, while promoting an attitude of reverence and respect, and encouraging the further preservation of these unique historical resources for future generations. Through more than a century and a half, places of memory have been established without adequate provision for the maintenance. Duty calls to the present to preserve the past. We, living on the foundation laid by those, whose cherished memories are fading, have an opportunity to shoulder and share the responsibility, and establish a structure that will survive from generation to generation. The proposed Clatsop Cemetery District will serve as the custodian of the cemeteries of Clatsop County. The district will gather records from all the cemeteries into a central database, giving more convenient access to burial records for those tracing genealogies or attempting to locate forgotten graves. A single board will formulate policies and respond to concerns of the public. One cemetery supervisor will coordinate maintenance and operations of the various cemeteries providing a consistent level of care, as well as overseeing restoration, beautification, preservation and development projects. Ours is a grassroots effort. Coordinated community support throughout Clatsop County, in each part of the county, including each city council, the County Commission, and all the voters of Clatsop County will be necessary to establish and adequately fund this special district.
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