From left, Oakwood Board of Regents President Ken Locke, Board Secretary Ellen Hoffer and Oakwood Cemetery Sexton Hal Heagy. InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels

By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Oakwood Cemetery Sexton Hal Heagy said materials needed to repair the Preacher’s Stand will cost less than $2,000 for everything except the gutters.

Heagy and his staff can do the majority of the work themselves, saving on labor costs. He believes the cost for someone to come in and do the gutter repair will not cost more than $1,000.

The preacher’s stand is located behind the cemetery office. InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels

Heagy provided those details at the Board of Regents meeting Thursday, April 7. 

The Preacher’s Stand, an open structure with auditorium-style seating, is located behind the cemetery office. In December, the Board voted to have the stand removed; however, due to public opposition and a request by city officials to reconsider the decision, the Board decided to reconsider the issue in January.

Last month, the Board voted to keep the Preacher’s Stand. 

A new metal roof was put on the structure in 2015. In addition to repair of the damaged gutter, Heagy plans to put up a new ceiling, replace two doors in the back, put new concrete in the front, paint and put in new seats. There is no set timeframe for when the repairs will be completed. Heagy said this will be worked into the schedule as time allows.

The cost for repairs will come out of the cemetery’s PERM account. 

In another matter, board members will make a decision regarding changing the verbiage of the cemetery rules and regulations at the May meeting. 

Heagy said the rules and regulations adopted previously were “correct and fitting” at the time of adoption; however, after review of the rules and regulations, “it has become evident that some of the wording could be changed to be more clear and to better explain the current requirements and services of the cemetery to the public.” 

A pamphlet with the current rules and regulations, as well as paperwork with proposed changes, was distributed to board members at the March meeting.

Regarding the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, Board of Regents President Ken Locke announced that Young Tiger Football members will be placing flags at the graves of veterans at the cemetery May 21.

The flag placement prior to Memorial Day is a Young Tigers tradition that began in 2005.

Locke said there will be a Memorial Day ceremony at the cemetery at 11 a.m. May 30. The ceremony will be held at the Preacher’s Stand. In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place in the cemetery chapel.

In other news:

• Construction of the storage building at the cemetery will begin soon. The building will be unheated and used to store seasonal outdoor equipment.
• Bradford’s Outdoor Creations began work Monday on repair of the crumbling landscaping block around the office.
• The next regular meeting will be 5 p.m. May 5.