Timing for St. Paul’s cemetery road repair is uncertain

by Ethan Brodie

BARTON — After nearly a year of complete inaccessibility, work to repair the road leading to St. Paul’s Cemetery is expected to begin moving forward, according to Father Greg Caldwell, administrator of Most Holy Trinity Parish.  The exact timeline for the work is uncertain as the parish is still working on finding a contractor for the project.

“I hope to soon have an estimate of when it will be, but at this point, I do not have an estimate when the cemetery will be open,” Father Caldwell said.

The cemetery has been closed to both vehicles and pedestrians since the flooding of July 2024, which washed out the road leading to it.  The parish’s insurance company determined that the road is unsafe due to the erosion of the bank on which the road sits.  The path is considered insecure due to the risk of further erosion.

A large chunk of missing road is visible on the side of a steep drop off, just beyond a big gate with danger signs blocking the bottom of the road.  A barely standing fence and fallen trees, limbs, and branches further reveal the effects of last year’s flooding.

The long delay in reopening the cemetery stems from changing ideas on how to restore access to the cemetery.  Following the flood, the parish’s insurance wanted a new road built because of concerns about a future wash-out.  However, a project to build a new road was delayed by issues in getting an easement.  As a result, the insurance company has agreed to move forward with repairing …

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