It cost the Municipality of Chatham-Kent over $24,000 to clean up the Dresden Cemetery after a storm tore through the cemetery earlier this year.
According to a staff report coming to council on Monday night, several trees were uprooted during the storm on September 12, 2021. Twenty-four monuments in the cemetery were toppled by falling trees and branches as well.
The following day, Dresden Cemetery was closed to the public due to the extensive damage and unsafe conditions throughout the site. The road within the cemetery was destroyed in several places due to uprooted trees.
The report also noted that storm damage in other areas across the community resulted in a staffing crunch.
"Localized parts of Dresden and Thamesville also received storm damage, which required all available public works resources to assist with cleanup," read the report. "CK Tree Care has provided arborist services to cemetery operations at Dresden and Riverview cemeteries over the past few years. They were contacted and able to provide immediate assistance to Dresden Cemetery in order to begin necessary cleanup."
Damage at the Dresden Cemetery in September 2021. (Photo via the Municipality of Chatham-Kent)
Work included the sectioning and removal of fallen trees, hanging limbs, and assessments of damaged trees. Once the immediate hazards were removed, more large mature trees had to be cut down due to extensive damage noted during the risk assessments. Meanwhile, damage to the roads was addressed by using fill and stones to provide a temporary repair that would allow unimpeded vehicular traffic.
The cemetery was reopened to the public on September 17. On September 27, workers from a restoration company in Sarnia arrived at the site and worked throughout the week to reset and seal all the monuments that had fallen.
"It was imperative to complete the work as safely and quickly as possible to ensure that visitors and funerals would not be disrupted," the report noted. "There were no funerals impacted or delayed by the storm damage thanks to the rapid response of contractors and public works staff."
According to the report, charges for the arborist services came to $18,500 while it cost $5,775 for the monument restoration services, plus HST.
Cemetery operations were granted emergency authorization to complete the work by the general manager of infrastructure and engineering services. In accordance with council’s purchasing policy, staff is required to provide an information report upon completion of the project.
The expenses will be a variance to the 2021 cemetery operating budget.
