To whom it may concern,

I want to make the citizens of Tarkio aware of the struggle of so many to pay their respects to loved ones buried at Home Cemetery in Tarkio. By sharing this knowledge, I hope something can be done about it.

The Home Cemetery Board has continued to have someone lock the northeast gates leading into the cemetery from 6th Street during the day. This causes cemetery-goers to have to back up on an already narrow road and for some, they just choose to drive around the gates and through my yard anyway. Although the main gate located on the southwest side of the cemetery is usually left open, this can only be accessed from Hwy. 59. This is not a user-friendly entrance for anyone who is walking, riding a bicycle, or traveling by golf cart as there is no safe way for them to travel along the highway to this gate.

Let’s be honest, there are way more important things for the board to be worried about than keeping a cemetery locked up. I’ve lived here along the border of the cemetery for decades and although there have been times when people were using the cemetery for nefarious reasons, those instances have been very few and far between. Definitely not a good reason to keep the gate locked, especially during the day when those activities more than likely would not be taking place anyway. As for an increase in traffic on the newly paved roads in the cemetery, the only people who will be driving out there regularly are loved ones, not highway traffic that decides to take a looksie in their 40 ton trucks. Most cemeteries around the nation are open to vehicles, at least during the day. People pay good money to bury their loved ones in these places of honor and should be able to access them whenever they feel the need.

I know I and many others have voiced their opinions on wanting the gates left open, at least during the day, but those wishes have fallen on deaf ears. It is my hope that if more people become aware and contact the board members, this problem might be rectified. If you would like to know who is on the board so that you can contact them, give me a call at 660-736-5609 and I will give you their contact information.

Sincerely,

Mary Hope