DEAR EDITOR:

Thank you to the Tribune and Vindicator for recent coverage of Belmont Park Cemetery. The story drew needed attention to the cemetery’s need for assistance — most urgently the preservation of the historic mausoleum.

About a year ago, state law required Liberty Township to assume responsibility for the cemetery after the association could no longer afford maintenance.

The township is committed to caring for the grounds, but trust earnings and minimal burial fees don’t cover major capital projects. The mausoleum (about 4,500 square feet, roughly 500 vaults and a chapel) requires immediate attention.

Liberty Township has applied for $245,000 of a $270,000 preservation project — primarily a new roof and emergency measures to halt further deterioration. Full restoration will require substantially more funding.

We urge readers to contact Congressman Dave Joyce, state Sen. Sandra O’Brien and state Rep. Dave Thomas to support our grant application. If you’d like more information or a draft letter to edit and sign, call me at 330-759-1315 or email aclebone@libertytwp.com.

Belmont Park is a focal point of the township — its 1,200 feet of frontage on Belmont Avenue sits in the heart of our shopping district and a major corridor into Liberty Township — and should be preserved for current and future generations. The township cannot fund this renovation alone; community voices are essential.

Thank you to the Tribune and The Vindicator for calling attention to this important historic landmark.

ARNIE CLEBONE

Liberty Township trustee