I-TEAM: Mismanaged cemetery almost unrecognizable after city takes over

TROTWOOD — For the first time city leaders are speaking out after taking over a problematic cemetery.

News Center 7 has previously covered families’ frustrations with Bear Creek Cemetery from waist-high grass to unavailable burial records.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘It breaks my heart;’ Families seek answers to mishandled cemetery property

Complaints were so serious the City of Trotwood filed a lawsuit to grant them immediate control over its operations and finances.

Now the cemetery is almost unrecognizable.

Donald Eyler Jr.’s dad was in charge of running the cemetery before his death last year.

“He always took pride in this and that’s why I don’t understand how it went to become what it became. It was very disheartening,” Eyler said.

He said he was tipped off to the conditions of the cemetery and when he came out to see it he said it was “a disaster.”

“Grass wasn’t cut, nothing was trimmed. People had paid foundations for headstones, were not getting it done,” Eyler said.

>> RELATED: City of Trotwood files lawsuit to gain control of troubled cemetery

This is why the city of Trotwood has now been granted ownership of the cemetery.

Johnny McCluskey is the operations manager for the Public Works Department in Trotwood.

He is leading the charge of upkeeing the cemetery.

“We just jumped on it to get them all back up in a place where they belong. There was a lot of record work that had to be done but eventually figured all that out and we think we got everybody back up and running,” he said

McCluskey said he worked with the current owners of the cemetery to create a two-step process when someone needs to be buried.

First, they collect paperwork to confirm ownership of the grave then have the public works department do a site inspection, and then speak with the funeral home to go ahead with the burial.

The cemetery has been registered with the State of Ohio Department of Commerce, officially putting it in the city name.

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