MT. PLEASANT—Concerns about the appearance of the cemetery and old trees dying along Main Street were the main topics at the Mt. Pleasant City Council meeting last Tuesday Sept. 14.
Residents concerned about each of the topics were given 3 minutes to state their cases.
“I am here to complain, but I am also here to make a recommendation,” said Claudia Jarrett, who is concerned about the cemetery.
Jarrett lives a couple blocks away from the cemetery and says it is a favorite walking place for her and her friends.
“The Fourth of July firework remains are still out there, and it’s an eyesore,” she said.
A resident appeared before the council a few months ago with the same complaints. She told the council at the Sept. 14 meeting that canisters from the fireworks have been gathered up, but not the rest of the fireworks trash.
Bull Keisel, mayor pro tempore, said it is the job of the volunteer fire department to clean up after the event.
Jarrett also mentioned she has difficulty maneuvering around the cemetery website and recommended the city make it easier to navigate, with a spot for plots that are available, as well as showing plots that are sold and to whom.
Colter Allen, public works director, said his department is in the process of switching to new software, which should be up and running soon. Once the new program is installed, there will be a place to see who is buried where, and even listing the veterans.
As public participation continued, resident Pam Stoker took her 3 minutes to also talk about cemetery. She spoke to the city council a year and a half ago, but said nothing had changed since then at the cemetery.
Allen said the city has had problems with lawn mowers all summer. “We have struggled to keep mowers fixed and running,” he said. “One of the mowers has been at Cox’s (Cox Automotive and Sports in Fairview) for almost two months trying to get repaired.”
Employees hired to work on the cemetery are seasonal and will be done at the end of the month, he said, adding that he needed to have a chat with his help to find out why things haven’t been happening.
Stoker said the trees have been standing on Main Street for many years, yet some of them are now dying.
Several citizens are willing to donate their time to water them if a water truck could be provided, Stoker said.
Even though volunteering is appreciated, it leads to liability insurance issues, said city recorder Jeanne Tejada.
If the tree is in the front of someone’s home or business, it is the resident’s job to water that tree, Kiesel said.
With the drought and only four hours of water allowed per week, residents may not make watering the trees a priority, or may not even be aware that it is their job, he said.
The Police Department has been notified that if they see citizens watering trees, they are not to issue them citations.
“This is something that should be done and something that we should have gotten to earlier,” said Kiesel. “I’ll do my best to make sure that something is done and taken care of in the next two weeks.”
Even though the trees are dying along Main Street and the cemetery needs mowing, citizens speaking during the public participation portion of the meeting wanted the council to know that the hanging baskets are beautiful and they are thankful for Pam Allen and all she does.
