City To Revisit Preacher’s Stand Decision
By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews
WARSAW – City officials have asked that the Oakwood Cemetery Board revisit its decision to demolish the old preacher’s stand.
The cemetery board on Dec. 2, voted to demolish the rarely used structure in Oakwood Cemetery rather than spend thousands of dollars for repairs.
But Hal Heagy, the cemetery’s sexton, appeared before city council Monday, Dec. 6, to provide an update on the issue.
Heagy said a $6,000 repair estimate was mentioned in previous discussions but said that that was an estimated maximum cost and that it could very well be much less.
The decision to demolish was made without getting a firm estimate.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer suggested Heagy take the issue back and seek a cost estimate.
Cemetery Board member Chris Plack at first sought to table the issue but then offered a motion to remove the structure rather than spend $6,000. That idea was unanimously approved.
“I was a little surprised,” Heagy said about the change in direction.
Since then, a Warsaw man announced plans for a gofundme campaign to raise $6,000 for repairs. So far, the effort headed up by Scott Clay has collected less than $100 as of Tuesday afternoon.
Clay, who wears an elf hat in his gofundme video, is also running for a candidate for Kosciusko County Council, which is not mentioned in the video.
Clay said he believes there is interest in saving the facility.
Clay’s idea was discussed during city council with some asking whether the city could accommodate such an offer.
Plack said Tuesday he’s fine with the city looking into the matter further and that he likes Clay’s idea.
The Dec. 2 vote, Plack said, had more to do with the money rather than the structure.
“If Scott can raise $6,000 in the private sector and local government doesn’t have to pay for it, that’s great,” Plack said.