Fwd: Forest Hills Neighbors Member - 2065 letter to forest hills cemetery

[Nancy Shapero]

Begin forwarded message:

From: eric gordon <ericb...@gmail.com>

Subject: Forest Hills Neighbors Member - 2065 letter to forest hills cemetery

Date: January 29, 2016 10:55:15 AM EST

To: foresthill...@googlegroups.com

Reply-To: foresthill...@googlegroups.com

Dear neighbors,

As many of you know, there has been an ongoing dispute between the forest hills cemetery and the neighborhood. They closed off the entrance near the playground, and someone cut a new hole. Then, they blocked off the new hole, and someone opened it again. And on and on. 

Some people in the neighborhood are attempting to appeal to the owners of the forest hills to make a permanent gate on Barlow. If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please reach out to Isaac Kriegman at zackr...@gmail.com.

For those who haven't seen the proposed letter, please see below, and if the letter makes sense to you put your name down for whatever you can afford (and email back to me). Suggestions for changes are welcome. (This letter will not obligate you but hopefully will be the first step in a more formal discussion with the Cemetery.)

When deciding to pledge $500, I was thinking about what a tremendous difference it makes in the quality of my life to take a walk in the forest everyday.  There is a rumor that the Cemetery has a new strategy for the fence line come the spring.  If we only reach $2 thousand in donations, I suspect the cemetery will be much less responsive than if we can reach $5 or $10 thousand. But of course any amount will show how broad support is throughout our community.

Please also spread the word to everyone you know, and as you meet people walking in the Cemetery get their email address and forward this letter if they haven't already seen it.

Dear Forest Hills Cemetery,

It saddens everyone in our community that relations have deteriorated between the Wachuset/Bourne/Weld Hill neighborhoods and the Cemetery. We deeply value Forest Hills Cemetery as a critical part of the Emerald Necklace, as a wildlife sanctuary, for its rich history, as a beautiful place for contemplative walks, and of course, as a resting place for the dead. For years, the cemetery and our neighborhoods have had a constructive relationship. Neighbors have repeatedly organized to clean up the broken glass and trash in the Cemetery forest, and we have volunteered at the lantern festivals and with the educational foundation that used to be associated with the Cemetery.

Recently, a gap in the fence that our neighborhoods have used for decades for enjoyment of the cemetery was patched up. This saddened us, but what happened afterwards saddened us even more. Some unknown person(s?) cut a hole in the fence triggering a back and forth struggle that we believe has the potential to create more damage to the relationship between the Cemetery and our neighborhoods.

We believe that our community has demonstrated over the years the potential to be assets and allies to the Cemetery and we wish to demonstrate that again. We have collected pledges from neighbors who would like to repair the damage to the Cemetery’s property, and fund the creation of a gate that would make the Cemetery easily accessible to the Wachusetts, Bourne and Weld Hill neighborhoods, payed for entirely by donations from the community. We would also endeavor to make a collection every year to be donated to the Cemetery to cover the cost of opening the gate in the morning and closing the gate in the evening.

Forest Hills Cemetery is an important part of our great city’s heritage and tradition. We wish to support the Cemetery and find a solution that will preempt this senseless destruction of property, and ensure our close connection to the Cemetery for years to come.

Sincerely,

Wachusett/Bourne/Weld Hill Neighbors

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