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Blog Entry 79 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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Grand View Memorial Park going green

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Contributed by: Lisa Burks on 9/12/2008

Visitors attending the recent visitation at Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale on Sunday, Sept. 14, were greeted with portions of noticeably greener grounds around the parched landscape, thanks to new watering efforts underway at the cemetery.

A temporary above-ground system of portable water spickets attached by hoses to reclaimed water pipes was put into place a few months ago, and made operational in recent weeks, in order to help alleviate the drought-level conditions that have plagued Grand View for nearly two years.

On Friday morning, Sept. 12, all systems were go again in several sections of the park, most notably in one of the largest and driest areas of the cemetery, Section M.

Watering was also being done in Section B near the entrance, Section H in the back of the park and Section L that borders the West Mausoleum.

Also at work that day was a representative from TruGreen LandCare, who used a riding mower to cut grass and weed growth throughout the entire cemetery.

"We've had to rebuild all the equipment and do a considerable amount of work to get the sprinkler heads functioning properly again," attorney David Baum told me as we watched about a dozen or more spickets spew water onto the thirsty grass, shrubbery and trees.

Baum represents Moshe Goldsman, the cemetery owner of record after the sudden death of his business partner, Marsha Howard, in November 2006.

Baum said that watering would continue throughout the day Friday and also on Saturday.

According to Baum, spot watering has been taking place for several weeks, occurring at least twice a week, and the movable spicket system is now in shape to cover the entire park.

Focus has been placed on the most urgent areas, but each section is now within the water's reach and gets its turn in rotation. Plans to ramp up the hydration effort comes on the heals of Baum hiring a new landscape supervisor, Justin Sugarman.

The decision to put the existing underground water system on bypass was made due to untold amounts of breaks in the vintage pipes and a resulting concern that applying any pressure to the already-stressed infrastructure would cause water damage to the grounds and grave sites.

Alarm over the lack of water at Grand View has long been a hot topic since the cemetery closed for regular business in June 2006. Later that summer, a fire broke out during a public visitation that was caused by a burning incense set on a grave located among dried grass.

By summer 2007, conditions became so arid that the park was ruled an official fire hazard by the Glendale Fire Department. In January 2008, dozens of Grand View's signature towering trees, by then dying and hazardous, had to be cut down.

Recent watering efforts are starting to show some results. While covering this story development at Grand View on Friday, I was able to witness particular improvements along Section L near the West Mausoleum and marked green patches in several other sections.

Even the remains of removed trees are showing life, with new sprouts popping up around the bases of many stumps.

Grand View will be open to the public from noon-4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, and ever other Sunday during the same hours through the end of the year. It will also be open on Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Armenian Christmas.

Baum noted that those planning to attend the visitation should continue to bring their own water for drinking, flowers and grave site cleaning because the reclaimed water system will not be operational due to health concerns should anyone unknowingly try to consume it.

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