Construction affects grass quality at Parkview Cemetery

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - Some locals aren’t happy with the grounds crew of one Hastings cemetery. A series of complaints have been filed surrounding the grass quality at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings.

Officials said it’s linked directly to the cemetery’s road improvement project. Their grounds crew started clean up efforts in early April. Moving and trimming follows that in May.

Officials said it’s only part of the cemetery that is having an issue.

“The older blocks is with the blocks that we have a lot of the issues with as far as getting a lot of water to them,” said John Brown, Superintendent of Parkview Cemetery. “We have two new wells we put in two of the blocks. We need to put in a new well in the other block.”

Brown said the grounds crew is doing their best to keep the grass green. He said they’re in phase four of road construction, and that will start after Memorial Day.

“The old water system here is not very far underneath the ground,” Brown said. “So when they are tearing up the asphalt to do everything, to resurface everything unfortunately those waterlines get hit by their equipment.”

Brown said the cemetery does has sprinklers and rain trains to help water the grass, but those don’t put out nearly enough water for an entire block. They’re limited in solutions, but for one native, the way the grass looks is unacceptable.

“It looks like a desert, just looks like a desert, I mean there’s bare dirt,” said Mike Uridil, Hastings native. “They need mostly they need water. I know the trees are gone but somebody can at least water the place.”

Uridil said he would like to see Parkview Cemetery have more irrigation, and more trees to help reserve water.

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