The Herald, Tues, Oct 13, 1998 Local New section, 1B QUOTED AS FOLLOWS: Dispute over the dead Arguments begin in trial over use of cemetery site (Accompanying picture by The Herald/Dan Bates, On a rainswept afternoon Monday, attorneys ( from left) William Sullivan, Thomas Haensly and Thom Graafstra take a walk with Judge Charles French (right) through a preserved portion pf Snohomish's historic cemetery. Behind them and across a road is a section of land being disputed in court. (Comment:"a preserved portion of Snohomish's historic cemetery" is not an actual cemetery, but the replica of a cemetery - stones were taken from other parts of the Cemetery and placed in the replica village on the North portion of the actual cemetery left on the North side after the Hwy 2, now 2nd Street cut was made in 1947. CC.) By Leslie Moriarty, Herald Writer A dispute over the status of property at Second Street and Pine Avenue in Snohomish (Actually it is Second and Cypress -CC) Snohomish, once used as a cemetery and now wanted by the city of Snohomish for a youth center, moved into Snohomish County Superior Court Monday. The city of Snohomish is asking Judge Charles French to declare that the property can be used for purposes other than a cemetery, so that a youth center can be built on part of the land, next to where a senior center was established in 1991. But family of at least one pioneer, John Low, who was buried in the cemetery near the turn of the century, has asked the judge preserve the cemetery dedication for the property, to keep the youth center out and to relocate the senior center. Many of the remains were removed from the property when the old U.S. 2 was built in 1947. The highway, now Second Street, cut the property in two. On the north side of the street, some gravestones remain as part of Pioneer Village, a replica of old Snohomish built by the local historical society. On the south side of the street, where the senior center now stands and the city wants to build a youth center, all visual traces of the cemetery are gone. (Comment: Weeds allowed to grow tall hide the cemetery base stones dumped under a clump of trees right at the NE corner of the Sr Ctr. - sandstone bases, and one pink marble with T H O M A S on it - the rest of the Thomas stone is across the highway in the replica cem. - CC) City officials once believed that all the human remains had been removed, however, tests last summer uncovered one set of remains still on the south side of the property. They haven't been identified. Nancy Sharp, an archaeologist with Northwest Archaeological Associates Inc., Seattle, who was on site when the remains were found, testified Monday that there was a probability that there were more bodies buried in the area, but that the only way to know for sure was to complete more tests. See CEMETERY, back page, this section 6B) City officials, however, said that they do not plan to do that and if the judge agrees to remove the dedication as a cemetery, they will go forward with the plans for a youth center. Local residents who are members of the senior center testified Monday that they did not have the money to relocate and that moving would create a hardship for them. Tom Haensly, an attorney for several parties opposing the city, said it was clear by the testimony Monday that the city had changed its position from one of saying the property was not a cemetery to a position that "they don't care that there are bodies there," he said. "It seems they are conceding that this is a cemetery, but that they see what they are doing with the property - a senior center and a youth center - to be in the greater public good," he said. At the end of testimony Monday, Judge French, Haensly, Bill Sullivan, the attorney for the senior center, and Thom Graafstra the attorney for the city of Snohomish, ventured out in the rain to view the property. Testimony in the trial, which resumes at 9:30 a.m. today in Department 4, is expected to continue through Wedbesday. You can contact Leslie Moriarty by phone at 425 - 339-3436 or you can send e-mail to her at moriarty@heraldnet.com END OF QUOTED ARTICLE with my comments - CC. Try http://www.heraldnet.com/search/search.cfm for Oct 12, 98 and Oct 13, 98 the article may or may not appear. Try also dates June 20, 98 Front Page of Herald, and July 7, 98Local New Sec. B, for other cem articles which may appear using the Herald website Carroll, Snohomish * * * 30 * * * ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]