Trenton cemetery experiences flooding

TRENTON, Mich. – A person who has loved ones buried at the city-owned Bloomdale Cemetery in Trenton wants the city to fix the problem the cemetery has with standing water.

Some of the headstones are submerged in water along the fence line of the cemetery. Flooding is also a problem in certain parts in the middle of the cemetery.

Dawn Mackowski-Shreve's mother and other family members are buried at the cemetery.

"I come to reflect and to see the kind of disrespect, it's just hard. It's shifting the stones. It's eroding the stones and history's gonna be lost," she said.

Mackowski-Shreve said she contacted the city's Department of Public Works and got a disheartening response.

"They said this is what happens when we get rain and the issue will resolve itself," she said.

However, Jim Wagner, the City Administrator for Trenton said they want to fix the problem.

"I was aware there was a problem in the spring, but I was not aware there was a current problem with the issue. Over the past six months, we've had an ongoing issue there. We had significant leakage and water run off in the spring time due to a leak with the Great Lakes Water Authority," he said.

He also said part of the problem comes from the fact that it's a low area and there's water that comes from the Canadian National Railway Line that's adjacent to the cemetery. Wagner said they contacted the railway so they can figure out why the water is running off and accumulating in the cemetery, hoping to fix the problem.

Mackowski-Shreve said she hopes the problem is addressed soon.

"I'm doing this as much for her [Mackowski-Shreve's mother] as I am for the other families because I know my mom would have that expectation," she said.


About the Author:

Koco joined the Local 4 News team in September of 2016. She was born and raised in Metro Detroit, attended Central Michigan University, and previously worked at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.