Cemeteries in Bowling Green see damage from weekend storms
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – From last weekend’s storms, three local cemeteries suffered damage, including downed tree lines and a tree that fell on to a light pole in downtown Bowling Green.
“We saw some damage through our trees, but not as much as we’ve seen in years past. We’ve been pretty blessed that we didn’t have as much damage – a tree down in Pioneer that hit a lamp post/pole that was there, then we had one large tree at Fairview Cemetery 1, but staff was out bright and early Saturday morning and working to get it all taken care of, and they’re still working on it. It’s going to be a process, and we just ask the public to be patient with us and understand that it’s something that guys are working diligently on and trying to make sure that we have a safe environment for them,” Cathy Maroney, the cemetery division manager for the City of Bowling Green, says.
After that last wave, Fairview Cemetery had a tree fall that has since been picked up, and as you can see above, Pioneer Cemetery near SKyPAC had a tree that fell on to a light pole. The Cemetery Division of the City of Bowling Green is an umbrella of the Bowling Green Parks and Rec Department, who sent crews out to these locations to help pick up limbs.
“We have with the Parks maintenance and our landscape divisions, cemetery staff is there to assist. Of course, our primary responsibilities are the burials, and we had burials that Saturday. So we did what we could on that morning, but we had to continue with our services and provide services for the loved ones that they had lost,” Maroney says.
Meanwhile, at Mount Moriah Cemetery, in the back of the side of Fairview close to Kereiakes Park, some downed limbs are the main concern, and while crews are ready for anything that may come throughout the night, cemetery staff urged the public to be aware.
“They’re utilizing heavy equipment. So there’s a lot of safety issues involved with that. So we want to make sure that we follow through on that… be patient and be cautious,” Maroney says.
