ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — At one of the region’s most historic cemeteries, staff say they’re seeing acts of disrespect — including debris left on gravesites. Staff said that even small incidents can cause big impacts.
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Staff at Albany Rural Cemetery said that they found pallets and cardboard on a gravesite while cleaning up downed trees and overgrown grass. With only six groundskeepers covering 467 acres each day — it hits their small team hard.
“It wasn’t a ton, but it is a lot for us just because we are spread so thin. So just to be distracted by something like that, and with something as disrespectful as that.” said Tim Diamond, General Manager of Albany Rural Cemetery.
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Diamond went on to say that they don’t know when the debris were left — and with so much ground to cover, it’s difficult to catch everything right away. Diamond continued, “It could have been any time of day. And this place is so massive. It’s 467 acres. And again, we’re only six people on the ground and three or four in the office. So, we’re trying to be everywhere we can.”
As they work to restore sections long overgrown — staff believe that every corner of the grounds matters. Diamond expanded on how large the cemetery actually is, saying, “We have 151 sections here. And as we uncover a few years of neglect, there is significance everywhere you look.”
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They’re also moving forward with new projects — including a crematorium opening in January. They are also installing a cell tower, as Diamond explains, “We’re also in the process of putting a Verizon cell tower up in the western section of the cemetery to help with the coverage and the service in the area for the cemetery, and just for the community around.”…