The new grasscutters informed us that the new mower was delivered to the Cemetery today, they tested it a little, but the ground was too wet to cut yet.   They are going to be working as quickly as they can to get the high grass caught up, but with the constant rain, it will be a bit of a process as they attempt to get things caught up.     

Most of the worst of St Joseph Cemetery has been caught up.  It is calling for sun most of next week, and if the weather holds, they hope to begin to clear and cut sections of St John's to get it back into order.

We will do our best to keep people updated.   Please keep us in your prayers.

As Memorial Day approaches, I'm sure we will be getting a number of phone calls, so I wanted to share what has been happening at our Cemeteries. We are well aware that St John's Cemetery has not been well cut and trimmed this year, and we ask for your patience, and potentially your help.

For the last two years, both St Joseph Cemetery and St John Gualbert Cemetery have been cut by the same commercial lawncare service. We had been very happy with their service, and while cemetery grasscutting is a difficult job to keep up with, they had done well.

At the end of last cutting season, around September, we noticed the grass was growing a little long and we hadn't been billed. Upon contacting the old vendor, he informed us that he had sold his business and they were handing over equipment. I was then contacted by the new vendor who assured us that they would take over for the next season at the old vendor's prices.

Around February of this year, we confirmed with the new vendor that they would indeed be cutting this year. We also called around other potential commercial grasscutters to see if anyone would be willing. We only received one other response, and their price was over double what we had been paying (which in turn was double the pre-covid price, and well beyond what we can afford). 

The new vendor assured us that he would get the grass cut. When by Mid-April, we had seen a cut started at St Joseph Cemetery, but nothing done at St John Gualbert Cemetery, we contacted them again. They assured us that due to the rain, they were getting to it and would do it soon. When the grass was not cut for Mother's Day, we contacted them again, and they informed us that due to some health issues with their staff, the new vendor would be unable to fulfill the contract and that we should probably find someone else.

At that point, we contacted a number of commercial vendors and did not get any response, so we began to go through some of the local residential vendors and see if anyone was willing to take on two cemeteries. We did secure, now a 3rd vendor, the 3rd vendor took on the job, though he needed some new equipment to get started. He made his first cut at St Joseph's last week, and on the first cut, the transmission blew out on his Commerical Mower. Realizing that we were out of options, we have worked with the 3rd Vendor, and signed an agreement for the year where he will be purchasing two new mowers and cutting as soon as possible. That agreement was signed this past Tuesday. You may have noticed that they began to clean up the wall on Bedford Street, and much of the trimming at St Joseph’s.    We had hoped for him to have the equipment in place to cut in time for this weekend, but with yesterday’s storm,  we’re not sure that they will be able to complete the work in time for Memorial Day, but we have every expectation that they’ll complete it within the next week.   Of course, there have been plenty of other things going on here in the meantime, including a large fire this month next to our Activities Center that did some damage, which contractors and insurance people have been working on for the last week.

We hope that as they get the new mower and get started this week.  The 3rd vendor is very excited, and anxious to get started.   Please keep them and us in your prayers that we can get both cemeteries back in well maintained order very soon.