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Fern Hill Cemetery volunteer seeks city letter and water connection to support preservation work
Summary
A Fern Hill Cemetery volunteer asked Chehalis council on Jan. 27 for a city letter supporting a national preservation group’s visit and for help reconnecting a water service; staff said they would collect information and pass it to staff member Stacy to follow up.
Penny Colleen Elizabeth Hamilton Mall, who identified herself as president of the Fern Hill Cemetery board, asked the Chehalis City Council during citizens’ business on Jan. 27 for the city’s support in restoring and maintaining the historic cemetery on Bishop Road.
Hamilton Mall said volunteers had improved the grounds and that the cemetery had been vandalized recently, prompting volunteers to lock the gate for protection. She said local contractor Seth Iverson had offered to perform the installation work to “redo our water” for free and asked the city to reconnect the cemetery’s water service or otherwise support the repair at little or no cost. She also asked the council for a short support letter so Atlas Preservation — a Connecticut-based nonprofit she said runs cemetery-preservation workshops — would consider bringing a team to Chehalis to train volunteers in stone repair.
City staff responded that they would gather the information and that Hamilton Mall should submit details to Stacy (city staff). A staff speaker said city staff had previously believed no water line existed to the cemetery, and that they would re-evaluate the connection and the request for a letter of support.
Why it matters: Fern Hill contains historic monuments and family graves dating to the 19th century and is a local historic resource; restoring damaged markers and securing a stable water source would support ongoing volunteer preservation and public access.
Key details provided by the speaker: the cemetery is on Bishop Road near the Interstate; volunteers recently numbered as many as 60 at a single work party; the volunteer board asked for a letter of support addressed to Atlas Preservation and asked staff to investigate reconnecting the water service. Hamilton Mall named local contacts and high-profile long-time volunteers she said would help administratively.
Ending: Staff said they would get the requested information to Stacy for follow up and prepare a letter for city review and signature if appropriate. Hamilton Mall said she would provide the details needed to proceed.
