Ark Valley News - City to remove cemetery decor

City to remove cemetery decor
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: April 18, 2024

Valley Center is cleaning up the cemetery.

The city's parks and public buildings department will begin removing grave decorations before mowing season on April 22.

The city is giving plot owners time to remove the decorations before April 22. Decorations not picked up will be stored at the city's public works building for two weeks. The city is asking owners to pick them up during regular business hours or they will be thrown away.

"We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in maintaining the dignity of this sacred space," Neal Owings, director of parks and public buildings, said in a letter.

Owings said the city will remove decorations that have deteriorated or are "no longer in pristine condition or that are not in compliance" with the city's ordinance.

The city has rarely taken such a pro-active approach with compliance.

Owings said items not in compliance include faded flowers, weathered wreaths, solar lights, shepherd hooks and other "adornments that are not permanently fixed to the headstone and may detract from the overall appearance of the cemetery."

"Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued support in maintaining the dignity of our cemetery grounds," Owings said.

The city's cemetery is on North Meridian, just north of Valley Center High School.

Owings told the Valley Center City Council about his department's plans during the council's meeting April 16.

Owings also announced that the restrooms in the city's parks opened for the season last week and work has begun to open the city's outdoor pool by Memorial Day weekend. The new splash pad in Lions Park also is scheduled to open by then.

In other city property news this week, Rodney Eggleston, public works director, said the city's brush pile near the wastewater treatment plant will be closed all week as Sedgwick County works to grind up the large brush pile. The work could extend into next week, he added. However, the pile should be open to the public on April 20.

As for the Meridian reconstruction project, Eggleston said a lot of work is happening, including the beginning of sidewalks, electrical lines for streetlights, storm sewer installation and roadwork.

Eggleston said water service to a handful of businesses south of the intersection of Main and Meridian was interrupted without notice last week.

In other business April 16, the council:

•Approved temporary intersection closures and the police department's assistance with the Hornet Hustle fundraising run on Sept. 7.

•Agreed to temporarily waive the right-of-way requirements for garage sale signs during the city-wide garage sales April 18 through 20.

•Approved the Lions Park pool use agreement between the Valley Center Recreation Commission and the Valley Center Swim Club. The rate increased by $100.

•Approved an agreement with Short Elliott Hendrickson engineering firm for the Harvest Place subdivision infrastructure design for $334,200. The addition will southeast of 93rd and Meridian.

•Approved a change order for the Prairie Lakes regional detention basin at a cost of $250,245.

•Approved the calendar for setting the city's 2025 budget.

•Approved an ordinance and resolution to sell $5.8 million in bonds to TD Securities to pay off the temporary notes that paid for water and paving improvements in Cedar Ridge and Arbor Valley, the Ford reconstruction project and the city's new firetruck. The water and paving will be paid for with special assessments.

•Learned that the Main Street Farmers Market will begin May 2.