FLLewis/ A Writer’s Groove
A gravesite is adorned with flowers during a visitation this past summer at Grand View.
Grand View Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale will be open to visitors today by order of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mohr.
Judge Mohr issued the order after a hearing last month. The troubled cemetery has been entangled in management and legal problems since the fall of 2005, after an investigator discovered the remains of four thousand bodies that had been mishandled.
This year, Grand View has been open for a few hours on select visitation days. Future openings will be on October 26, November 9, November 23, November 27 (Thanksgiving), December 7, December 21, December 25 (Christmas), January 1, 2009 (New Years Day), and January 6, 2009 (Armenian Christmas).
The hours are noon to 4 p.m. During that time, visitors will be able to stroll the grounds, clean markers, hand trim and water the dry grass and leave commemorative items at the gravesites.
An e-mail announcement of the openings from Plantiffs’ Attorney Paul Ayers also reminded visitors to obey the rules, especially those dealing with fires. “Due to the dry grounds it is very important that there be no smoking, fires or use of incense during the opening. Violations of this rule can cause the Glendale Fire Marshall to oppose further openings.”
The dry and sometimes windy weather conditions we are having now make compliance with the no-fires rule doubly important.
