Is Fielding Memorial Cemetery being neglected? We looked into it

EastIdahoNews.com looked into aggregate news tips astir nan attraction astatine Fielding Memorial Cemetery. | Jordan Wood and Kaitlyn Hart, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS — A section female is advocating for her parents’ last resting place, saying nan metropolis of Idaho Falls has neglected Fielding Memorial Cemetery for much than a decade.

But nan metropolis says it’s moving to tame nan problem of dormant writer and rodent infestation – and told EastIdahoNews.com why it’s happening.

Diane’s story

Diane Plastino Graves, an Idaho Falls native, contacted america aft experiencing what she calls a cemetery “scandal” complete nan past 13 years.

In 2011, Graves’ mother, Margaret Plastino, told her girl she was nary longer capable to sojourn her deceased hubby astatine Fielding Memorial Cemetery owed to nan mediocre conditions of nan grounds and nan emotions it caused her.

OBITUARY | Margaret A. Plastino

“When I asked her why, she said nan conditions were truthful upsetting to her that she could nary longer go,” says Graves. “So successful 2011, 13 years ago, I started communicating pinch nan metropolis and nan cemetery workers.”

Graves said astatine that point, nan weeds successful nan cemetery were overwhelming gravestones, and nan writer was not being watered properly.

“Most distressing of each was that nan headstones were ne'er edged, you know, for illustration you would separator your sidewalk from nan writer erstwhile you’re mowing your lawn,” says Graves. “So location were galore headstones wherever nan names were obscured because location were weeds and writer increasing complete nan headstones.”

A gravestone astatine Fielding Memorial Cemetery is flooded by writer and dirt. | Courtesy Diane Plastino Graves

After 2 years without a solution from nan Parks and Recreation department, which maintains nan metropolis cemeteries, Graves began penning nan mayor.

“My first missive to nan politician was successful 2013, and I had subsequently written to nan politician — astatine that constituent it was Mayor Fuhriman. But past very quickly aft that, Mayor Casper came into office, and I started penning letters to her,” says Graves. “I person ne'er had a consequence from nan mayor.”

Over nan years, Graves continued to petition attraction and reasoning for nan unkept grounds astatine nan cemetery wherever her begetter was buried, but thing came of it.

For nan adjacent 7 years, Graves dove into research. Through this, she recovered City of Idaho Falls ordinance 8-11-8, that lists nan duties of a Cemetery Sexton.

The ordinance requires nan Sexton to “fill each graves pursuing burial, trim immoderate grass, trees aliases shrubbery thereon and support each spaces successful a safe and charismatic condition. The Sexton shall attraction for each grounds and foliage successful nan City cemeteries.”

In 2020, Graves says she received an email from P.J. Holm, nan Parks Recreation Superintendent, asking her to person a telephone speech pinch nan section Cemetery Sexton, Scott Davis, and different cemetery workers.

“It was very contentious. They were very fierce pinch maine erstwhile I was expressing my concerns astir nan conditions of my parent’s graves and nan graves of everybody other there,” says Graves. “They gave maine a batch of pushback. They were not receptive to my complaints, which were nan aforesaid complaints I’d had for, astatine that point, 9 years. It was truthful bad that 2 weeks aft nan meeting, I received an email from 1 of nan participants apologizing for really unprofessional I was treated.”

In 2023, 2 years aft Graves’ mother died, nan business only worsened – nan cemetery is now infested pinch voles aliases section mice.

“In May 2023, arsenic things continued to deteriorate, I noticed that location were rodent holes astatine my parents’ graves, and I took pictures of them,” says Graves. “At that point, they were infiltrating nether my parent’s headstone. Honestly, I consciousness for illustration this is our ain Stephen King scary novel, which was fixed to america by nan metropolis of Idaho Falls. I conscionable find this to beryllium truthful appalling and disrespectful.”

Gravesites taken complete by vole damage.

Gravesites taken complete by vole damage.

Graves continued to telephone and moreover show up astatine nan cemetery, though she lives 4 hours away. She says she was upset to find retired they had dug up nan writer astir her parents’ gravestones erstwhile nan voles began to burrow astir them.

“When I went over, they really had dug up nan sod astir my parent’s grave, and it was dirt. It was truthful bad, they knew really upset I would beryllium that they dug nan writer up,” says Graves. “I said to them, ‘You know, this is terrible. What tin I do to help?’ I tried to beryllium very collegial pinch them.”

Graves says she has done everything she tin to amended nan attraction astatine Fielding Memorial Cemetery and does not cognize wherever to spell from here.

“If it was ethical to excavation my parents up and thrust their bodies to Boise and rebury them, I would do it,” says Graves. “I mean, that is horrifying to deliberation astir them being connected a flatbed truck, but if I someway could magically do it, I would get my parents retired of that horrible place.”

The city’s explanation

EastIdahoNews.com reached retired to nan Parks and Recreation Department astir nan attraction and infestation astatine Fielding Memorial Cemetery – and what it’s doing to hole it. You tin watch our question and reply successful nan subordinate above.

Tyler Smith, nan Parks and Cemeteries adjunct superintendent, says nan cemetery tends to look mediocre from outpouring until May because it is astir nan past connected nan concatenation for entree to h2o from nan irrigation territory during nan year.

“We get h2o astir 2 to 3 weeks earlier Memorial Day. So retired of nan gate, we’re struggling to get nan writer increasing and recovering,” says Smith. “Everybody connected nan irrigation territory h2o has to woody pinch it. So we’re utilized to it. We understand that successful nan spring, we commencement a small spot later than we’d like. So we’re not typically are capable to irrigate present until usually nan 1st of May, extremity of April, successful that window.”

Another reason, according to Smith, is nan understaffing. Many labor who support metropolis spot during nan warmer months are teenagers moving for nan Parks and Recreation section successful nan summer. Their employment originates erstwhile schoolhouse lets retired for summertime successful precocious May aliases early June.

Students tin only activity for a fewer weeks earlier nan section is again understaffed erstwhile they spell backmost to school.

“We’re importantly understaffed for our summertime attraction until usually nan first week of June, and past we’re afloat staffed for astir 8 to 10 weeks,” says Smith. “And past we commencement to dwindle backmost down. But, they’re a immense help, and we admit everything they do for us.”

Smith says nan vole infestation has damaged 30% to 40% of nan 40-acre cemetery, including undeveloped land.

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According to nan city, this is not a caller rumor and is communal successful unfastened fields, arsenic nan voles eat writer and bask areas pinch a debased predator organization – which accurately describes Fielding Memorial Cemetery.

“Anywhere there’s grass, (voles are) very common. Last year, we astir apt had nan worst twelvemonth that we’ve seen,” says Smith. “And truthful we’re conscionable still recovering from that.”

Smith showed america astir aggregate areas successful nan cemetery wherever nan voles had infiltrated areas adjacent headstones. Many of nan burrows had already been filled pinch soil successful an effort to hole nan issue.

“You’ll decidedly announcement vole activity much erstwhile nan writer isn’t growing,” says Smith. “And truthful without h2o successful nan spring, nan writer isn’t going to turn arsenic vigorous, and that’s 1 of nan reasons they’re much noticeable successful nan spring.”

The metropolis has bought a instrumentality to pump c monoxide into nan cemetery’s vole burrows, which unit says will thief tame nan rumor and protect above-ground animals specified arsenic cats and birds.

“You instrumentality it down successful nan hole, and past arsenic fume comes retired of nan crushed and different holes clog that up, nan c monoxide will termination everything nether nan ground,” says P.J. Holm, Parks and Recreation superintendent. “That’s amended for america because we person a batch of animals. We person a batch of things for illustration birds and hawks and owls that provender disconnected of that stuff, and it doesn’t poison them.”

Walking done nan cemetery, we came crossed nan gravestones of Graves’ parents, Ben and Margaret Plastino, and her grandfather, Benjamin Plastino. As Graves said – nan sod had been dug up, but this time, caller fresh writer sat connected apical of wherever nan vole harm utilized to be.

The Plastinos’ family graves aft caller sod was added. | EastIdahoNews.com

“This full area was beautiful overmuch inundated pinch a organization of voles, truthful overmuch truthful that we decided to trim nan sod retired and past relay sod,” said Smith. “And that’s 1 of nan reasons (the grass) looks truthful agelong correct now — we person to fto nan sod found itself earlier we tin tally our dense mowers complete nan apical of it.”

Scott Davis, nan cemetery sexton, says workers are doing their champion to protect nan resting places of nan nationalist – including their ain family and friends.

“I conscionable want group to cognize that their loved ones, that we attraction for them, because we person loved ones that are retired present arsenic well. We person a liking successful this, too,” says Davis. “And we’re doing everything we tin to effort to get power of this. But each of our staff, beautiful overmuch everyone, has personification successful present we know. So we decidedly return attraction of this place.”

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