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Trustees update: legal case over Wesley Chapel 'Old Section' and cemetery improvements
Summary
Trustees discussed a pending declaratory-judgment and ejectment action over the Old Section of Wesley Chapel Cemetery, approved repairs and OSHA compliance work at cemetery facilities and scheduled bench placements pending legal outcomes.
Norwich Township trustees received continued updates in 1995 about legal and operational matters at Wesley Chapel Cemetery.
Webster Junk presented a copy of legal action filed Dec. 30 seeking declaratory judgment and ejectment against property owners who are alleged to own the parcel containing the Old Section of the cemetery; the Prosecutor’s office was handling further proceedings and trustees were told a court date could be months away. Trustees later reported the prosecutor had filed summary-judgement paperwork on the township’s behalf and expected court activity in early November.
Operationally, Cemetery Superintendent Steve Montgomery compiled equipment operation manuals to comply with OSHA and the board approved purchases and corrections identified in an OSHA walk-through inspection: grinder guards, venting on the gas-storage shed and other small fixes. The board also authorized replacing the cemetery maintenance building furnace and discussed anchoring and placement of donated benches; trustees agreed to wait on some installations pending the outcome of the legal action over the Old Section.
Why it matters: The legal case affects ownership and control of burial lots, which has long-term implications for records, lot sales and cemetery maintenance. Trustees balanced legal strategy with practical maintenance and safety investments to keep the cemetery operating and compliant with regulatory requirements.
Trustees asked the clerk and superintendent to coordinate paperwork with the Prosecutor’s office, to obtain multiple estimates for concrete and headwall repairs and to keep a record of foundation and bench installations for future reference.
