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Blog Entry 54 of 80 Grave Concerns: Inside Grand View Memorial Park

News you can use regarding Grand View Memorial Park, Glendale, CA's oldest cemetery, which has been closed for regular business since June 13, 2006, due to legal and financial problems. Lisa Burks also runs the website GrandViewMemorialPark.info.

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Lack of water a growing concern at Grand View

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Contributed by: Lisa Burks on 5/30/2007

With severely dry conditions prevailing at Grand View Memorial Park, visitors planning to attend limited visitation there this Sunday, June 3, are cautioned to adhere to the fire safety rules that include a ban on smoking anywhere on the property and the burning of incense on grave sites.

The National Weather Service reports that the Los Angeles area has had less than four inches of rain this season, nearly a foot below normal precipitation levels, making this the driest year in history since it began record-keeping in 1877.

Nowhere in Glendale is that more evident than on the increasingly arid grounds of Grand View Memorial Park, which hasn't been watered in nearly a year.

Most of the grass is now dead and picker-filled, many of the flowering bushes are shriveling and large palm tree branches are dropping to the ground making it increasingly difficult to safely walk to grave markers, particularly in Section M.

Over the past few weeks, comments and questions I hear from the public at limited visitations have shifted from the usual wondering about when the troubled cemetery will be re-opened on a full-time basis to the more pressing subject of hydration.

These concerned citizens tell me that the solution should be cut and, well, dry.

They say that they are looking to the city government, which has been sponsoring the limited visitations as a public service since last August, to work with cemetery owners to turn on the water.

But, like everything else pertaining to the troubles Grand View, that's a seemingly simple solution to a complicated situation which has no easy or immediate answers because the cemetery is a privately-owned business with suspended operating licenses and that is currently embroiled in the early stages of civil litigation.

According to public records filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court, no specific mentions have been made recently by either side of the civil suit about plans to solve the urgent water issues at Grand View. The next status conference for that case is scheduled for Monday morning, June 4.

However, I've learned from reliable sources that an overall review of the Grand View situation (which will also include the feasibility of extending the current limited visitation schedule that runs its course on June 17) will be on the Glendale City Council's agenda during its regular meeting on Tuesday evening, June 12.

The following day, June 13, will mark the one-year anniversary that Grand View closed its gates "indefinitely" to the public, when co-owner Moshe Goldsman cited financial difficulties stemming from an interim suspension order issued by the state under allegations of mismanagement and mishandling of human remains.

Stay tuned for more developments as this story unfolds.

In the meantime, if you're planning to be at Grand View this Sunday, remember to bring lots of bottled water for cleaning markers, hydrating flowers and plants you leave at graves and maybe a nearby bush or tree in need.

Also, it's a good idea to wear protective clothing, such as close-toed shoes, long pants and gardening gloves, and an umbrella for shade if you need to do grave maintenance in the open lawn areas.

The weather forecast for Sunday is partly cloudy with a high near 83.

For more information about limited visitation rules, be sure to check out GrandViewMemorialPark.info, a companion site to this blog which archives a variety of news and information about the cemetery.

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