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<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; Hanover Green Cemetery is not looking quite as good as it has looked in the past, some visitors say.</p><p>Founded in 1776, the cemetery is one of the oldest in Luzerne County. It serves as a final resting place for loved ones of area residents, veterans of many U.S. conflicts, prominent civic leaders and even George Washington&#8217;s bodyguard.</p><p>The historic site is often frequented by area residents, not only to visit the place of ancestral burials, but to learn about history and to admire the landscape, replete with pathways, shady trees and well-maintained, grassy areas.</p><p>In the last few weeks, however, several residents visiting the site have noted that, although the grass continues to be mowed, weeds have grown around the graves of loved ones, a breech in maintenance to which they are unaccustomed.</p><p><strong>Plans for maintenance </strong></p><p>The chairman of the cemetery&#8217;s board of directors, Len Luba, is quick to explain that the problem will soon be corrected.</p><p>The condition of the site is simply a result of a summer season filled with a lot of rain followed by sunshine, he said.</p><p>&#8220;In the month of June, 27 out of 30 days were rainy ones,&#8221; said Luba. &#8220;It made the grass grow fast and made it impossible for our maintenance guys to go out and tend to the grass and weeds.&#8221;</p><p>This year, he said those weeds continued to grow quickly during the months of July and August, even though historically those months have been periods of slow growth.</p><p>Luba said that by the end of September he anticipates the cemetery will once again be back to near perfection.</p><p>Sharon Gulick of Mountain Top, who has several family members buried at the cemetery, acknowledges that it is typically well maintained. She was heartbroken, however, when she recently visited.</p><p>Gulick said the graves of loved ones were overgrown with weeds that she tried to pull from the ground to no avail.</p><p>Bill James, who grew up in Nanticoke and now lives in Jim Thorpe, also visited the cemetery recently when he was in the area to see family members. He, too, had some concerns about the cemetery.</p><p>James, whose parents and grandparents are buried at the site, said his visit caused him concern regarding his parents&#8217; final resting place.</p><p>After spending some time with Luba, however, he said that he had a better understanding of the challenges of keeping the cemetery in tip-top condition at this time of the year.</p><p>As a matter of fact, James now wants to volunteer in the effort to maintain not only the grave sites of his own family, but to assist the organization in general maintenance.</p><p>His wife, Anna, agrees.</p><p>&#8220;I told Bill we only live about an hour from the cemetery,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We can come down here with a weed whacker.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Responsible management </strong></p><p>Cemetery board member Bob Keiser, with about 200 family members buried at the cemetery, said the board is extremely proud of the way the cemetery is run overall.</p><p>Keiser said with an annual budget of about $50,000, maintenance salaries of about $30,000 and insurance costs over $5,000, the board doesn&#8217;t have a lot of money to work with.</p><p>In spite of that, he said, it has become somewhat of a local landmark with a recent Heritage Day being well received.</p><p>The board has been able to make several necessary improvements, including re-roofing two buildings on the site.</p><p>Luba hopes to make the commemorative activities an annual ritual, bringing area residents back to the cemetery as a memorial to loved ones and a step back into history.</p><p>Both Luba and Keiser are grateful that the board has been able to continue to maintain the cemetery since what they deem &#8220;a new board&#8221; came on about about eight years ago.</p><p>The alternative &#8212; turning over the cemetery to Hanover Township &#8212; they say is unthinkable.</p><p>&#8220;State cemetery law mandates that if the township took over, they would only have to mow the grass twice a year,&#8221; said Keiser. &#8220;That would be sad for those who are buried here, their families and the community.&#8221;</p><p>The cemetery operates as a nonprofit and welcomes volunteers. It is overseen by the Hanover Cemetery Company, which appoints its six-member board.</p><p>&#8220;We had young people doing community service here and they wanted to come back,&#8221; said Luba. &#8220;The first thing I did was to take them around the cemetery and tell them a bit about the people who are buried here.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Hopes for continued maintenance </strong></p><p>As for Gulick, the cemetery&#8217;s history of good maintenance gives her hope.</p><p>&#8220;When it&#8217;s your loved one buried in a grave surrounded by weeds, it&#8217;s hard to understand why that would happen at any time,&#8221; said Gulick. Still, she is remains hopeful the cemetery will again be the welcoming place for those who visit.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to make another visit at the end of September,&#8221; she said in a recent phone interview, &#8220;I&#8217;m hoping things will have gotten better by then.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL091715HanoverGreenCemetery.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bill James talks about the condition of the Hanover Green Cemetery where his mother and father are buried. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL091715HanoverGreenCemetery.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill James talks about the condition of the Hanover Green Cemetery where his mother and father are buried. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL091715HanoverGreenCemetery2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">High grass surrounds many of the grave markers at the Hanover Green Cemetery. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL091715HanoverGreenCemetery2.jpg</photo1><caption1>High grass surrounds many of the grave markers at the Hanover Green Cemetery. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL091715HanoverGreenCemetery3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Len Luba, chairman of the board of the Hanover Green Cemetery, says that board does not have a lot of money to maintain the cemetery. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL091715HanoverGreenCemetery3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Len Luba, chairman of the board of the Hanover Green Cemetery, says that board does not have a lot of money to maintain the cemetery. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Cleanup promised after summer weather leaves site looking a bit shabby</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>TO HELP</p><p>Anyone with comments or wishing to donate or volunteer at the cemetery are asked to call Bob Keiser 570-709-5801 after 4 p.m.</p></factboxMeta></div>

Board strives to maintain cemetery