The Article was in The Times Leader 15 January 2005 History Sliding away Cracks threaten Glencoe Cemetery Mud slips are a problem for many with home being threatened and roads being covered with debris and for some person final resting places. Since the September flooding portion of Glencoe Cemetery has been deterioration, with the ground visibly cracking and shifting as the result of a mud slip. While many are working to try and find a solution to the problem one factor limiting the work is that it is technically a privately owned, non-profit cemetery. "It's the old part of the cemetery on the hillside," said Dave Jerico, one of the members of the Glencoe Cemetery Association. "It's getting worse. We did what people told us to do and we are keeping children away. But there is not much more we can do." According to Jericho, the cemetery association was formed several years ago, with five members who turned to the community. They then raised funds for the cemetery and provide perpetual care for the grave sites. But now, the cost to repair the cemetery is greater then what the association has and there is little help available. "We've been trying to help them and have put them in contact with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency,)" said Richland Township Trustee Gregory Bizzarri. But there is nothing we can do. We can't spend taxpayers money on a private cemetery. Jerico said the association has contacted the Small Business Administration about possibly getting a loan, but because the cemetery doesn't bring in any money he doesn't know who they would pay it back. One thing the association wants to do is put a couple of retaining walls about halfway up the slip from the bottom of the cemetery to help keep the ground from slipping anymore. Another problem could be if any of the graves would have to be exhumed which would require the approval of the family of the person buried. The cemetery association has covered the area with plastic where the ground has cracked to help try and keep more water from getting in and causing more erosion. Although the slip has caused some of the graves markers to fall over. Jerico said that no vaults are exposed. Cheryl J Skinner Connecting Family Dots www.connectingfamilydots.com Dusting off Memories www.dustingoffmemories.com Make a Genealogist happy with books from the Belmont County Genealogical Society! <http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohbelogs/pubs.htm> http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohbelogs/pubs.htm