MOUNT FOREST – Several repairs flagged for the Mount Forest cemetery could cost the township more than $100,000 in the long run.
According to a new report, staff said in addition to repairing the cemetery's main entrance and sign which were damaged by an unknown vehicle/individual last August, a longstanding raised flower bed memorial and the iron fence along the front of the cemetery also require some TLC.
Considering the township's 2024 budget only planned for up to $11,000 in repairs, staff said replacing the fence is not considered urgent at this time and other options including sandblasting and painting the fence or permanent removal may be explored at a future meeting "when appropriate."
With the current funds, staff are recommending sandblasting and replacing the original Mount Forest cemetery sign, moving the old one to the smaller entrance, removing two pillars and part of the fence, painting the remaining pillars and repairing the flower bed.
Located between two flag posts, the raised flower bed memorial was erected in memory of "Charles V McKeller 1885-1955, a devoted member of the Board of this Cemetery" and its plaque will be re-installed following the flower bed's repairs.
There is no evidence of the cemetery's original sign or the memorial having any historical significance.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program
