RICHMOND, Va. -- A concerned viewer reached out to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers expressing frustration with the condition of the roadways in Oakwood Cemetery, a city-run cemetery in the East End. At the back of the cemetery, many of the roads are crumbling and chipped away.
Tim Harper recently buried his father in Oakwood, but noticed the poor condition of the roads when his mother passed in 2015. Harper’s grandfather is also buried at Oakwood.
"The pavement looks like it hasn't been repaved in 30 or 40 years. It's nothing but rocks and holes,” Harper said. "It's very disgusting for a place that's supposed to be reverent to the dead.”
Harper reached out the CBS 6 Problem Solvers, wondering if a fix for the poor road conditions was in the works.
Crumbling road in Oakwood Cemetery.
An employee at Oakwood Cemetery said the road conditions had not gone unnoticed, but referred questions about what is being done to repair them to the city Parks and Recreation Department, which is responsible for certain city-run cemeteries.
A parks department representative said "we have identified funds and are working on the next steps" to address the roads in Oakwood.
A liaison for Richmond City Council member Cynthia Newbille, whose district includes Oakwood, had not heard of the issues with the road conditions.
Harper said he did not remember the road conditions being as bad as the are when he would visit is grandfather’s headstone back in the 1970s. Harper's mother purchased plots in Oakwood years before she passed away.
"It was supposed to be taken care of by the city, maintained meticulously and this is where we are at today,” he said.
Employees at the cemetery said they want the roads fixed too, so Harper said he is pointing out the issue in hopes a solution comes sooner rather than later.
"They would like to see it speeded up, the process, the money appropriated, to fix the roads in a more timely manner. If any of this helps in that regard, that's what I'm trying to do,” Harper said.
CBS 6 News is working for you. Click here to email a tip to the CBS 6 Problem Solvers. Be sure to leave us your name, phone number and detailed description of the problem. You can also leave a message by calling 804-254-3672.
