Crews working overtime to mow Woodlawn Cemetery by Memorial Day
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Elmira’s historic Woodlawn Cemetery says crews are working six days a week to make sure all 58 acres are mowed by Memorial Day. The management office declined to comment on camera but told 18 News a rainy start to Spring delayed mowing and made grass especially tall this season. We stopped by today after hearing some complaints about overgrown grass covering headstones.
The cemetery is owned by the City of Elmira. It’s managed by the Woodlawn Cemetery Commission, which is appointed by the Mayor and City Council. Sherry Mandell is the Commission’s Secretary. She is also Mayor Mandell’s wife. Mrs. Mandell told us a seasonal worker was recently hired to join the grounds crew, making it a total of 7 people, including a supervisor.
Mrs. Mandell told 18 News crews only started mowing about two weeks ago due to rainy weather. She says staff members are working six days a week to make sure all 58 acres are mowed by Memorial Day.
Crew members told 18 News it takes at least two weeks to mow the entire cemetery. That’s not counting the time it takes to trim between more than 60,000 headstones. They include historic figures like Mark Twain, Ernie Davis and John Jones. Crew members say by the time they are done mowing, grass already needs to be mowed again where they started.
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We met 80-year-old John Cox as he worked in the sun around noon, tending to his family plot at Woodlawn Cemetery. Cox told us he comes to the cemetery 3 to 4 times a week. He brings his own equipment to make sure his family plot is taken care of. Cox says he also takes care of plots where friends are buried nearby.
We saw several people tending to their own family gravesites. They didn’t want to speak on camera, but they all said the cemetery grounds crew works very hard. They agreed the size of the cemetery makes it nearly impossible to keep it all mowed.
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