Visitors distraught by messy condition of Mount Hamilton Cemetery

Visitors to the Mount Hamilton Cemetery are distraught at the shape of the graveyard.

Mud and tractor tread marks mar some of the final resting places there.

Families of people buried there say more upkeep needs to be done.

Bernadette Amalfi was visiting her brother’s grave with her family over the Easter weekend when she noticed mud covering tombstones, flooding, track marks and memorial debris at the Mount Hamilton Cemetery.

“There were 10 or 12 people buried here over the winter. We understand that the ground is wet but there should be plywood put down in the grave sites should’ve been protected any damage should’ve been fixed right after,” Amalfi said.

The superintendent of cemeteries for the City of Hamilton, John Perrotta, said they do put down plywood, but there are some operational challenges.

He said the soil type at the cemetery is clay, which doesn’t drain well: “Combine this with the spring season, we experienced the challenge and operations with the melting snow and the rainfall that we got.”

Bernadette said some of the newer memorials were covered in mud on Tuesday. Crews worked to clean it up, but she said it’s still not enough.

Her family is saddened by the mess: “They need to respect the people who are buried here. They need to take into account that their loved ones visit. It’s important for us being owners of gravesites here to know that we’re going to be taken care of after we die.”

The city said crews have to wait until May or June to do a proper clean-up when the soil becomes drier.