Monongahela Cemetery buries community garden project
MONONGAHELA – Monongahela Cemetery has buried a proposal by local residents to create a community garden on a secluded area without graves, bowing to complaints the project would be disrespectful to the dead.
Michelle Parnell, an organizer of the vegetable garden, said the cemetery informed her Monday it had received too many complaints and changed its mind about the plan.
“It’s a shame,” Parnell said Tuesday. “We probably won’t be able to plant this year now.”
Parnell announced the project two weeks ago at a Monongahela council meeting. She said the cemetery approached her about the plan after she had earlier suggested the creation of a community vegetable garden in a meeting with council members seeking ideas on improving Monongahela.
“We got a lot of complaints,” cemetery board President Jim McCune said. “It’s not an issue anymore.”
Parnell said the owner of the former Monongahela Elementary Center stepped forward Tuesday and offered her group some land there for the garden.
She said her group, which includes master gardeners, likely will focus this summer on preparing the location for planting next year.