Just a thought on this...each student at the high school in Clinton (which also include the towns of Wapella, Lane, Kenney, Hallsville, DeWitt, Midland City, Birkbeck) are required to do 40 hours of community service during their four years in high school. Maybe the high school could be contacted to see about including cemetery cleanups. Even with being on private property, the owners may agree to it, if the school contacts them. I just joined this list, so I am not sure where the cemeteries are that need help. I must have not been on the list when all of the email started. So I'm coming in in the middle of the conversation! Debbie Champion Clinton, IL -----Original Message----- From: Patsy Cooley <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Friday, October 29, 1999 5:03 PM Subject: Dewitt Cemetaries Well, believe it or not I received a call today from the Comptroller's Office regarding the letter I had sent requesting they check into the poor conditions of the cemeteries that Earliene brought to our attention. I had received a letter from them earlier this week. The gentleman that called was extremely nice and seemed truly interested in trying to find a solution to this problem. He told me the State Comptroller had actually taken a trip around the State of Illinois and one of the counties he visited was Dewitt. They recognize there is a problem and are trying to get state funding to help. We also talked about other alternatives such as civic organizations, clubs, patriotic societies, etc., that might be willing to work on the cemetaries as a group project. The gentleman also talked about the legal aspects of this problem, with some of the cemetaries being located on private property. Which cemetaries had to be licensed and many other considerations. Anyway, he asked about the cemetaries with the worst conditions. (Earliene, since you have been there I hope you can address that question). There is a hotline setup to turn in complaints, give suggestions, report conditions, etc. The number is toll free 877-203-3401. Earliene, it appears your efforts are going to pay off. Patsy