Le Repentir in desperate need of cleaning, proper upkeep

May 02, 2012 News

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By Kristen Macklingam

While garbage issues affecting residents living near to Le Repentir Cemetery have ceased, another problem which has been brewing is the state of the facility itself where shrubs and heavy bushes are prevalent, and pieces of old wood are seen bordering a majority of tombs in various sections.
In the past, this cemetery has served thousands of families as a suitable location for burying their family and friends and was seen as an ideal area since it is located in the city. However, the present situation has become a source of worry.
Although some relatives are not concerned about the upkeep of the tombs, there are a number of persons who are of the opinion that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) takes care of these tombs on a regular basis.
It is only when these friends and loved ones visit the site for whatever purpose that they are made aware of the current state of the cemetery and they express dissatisfaction that the workers at the M&CC are not doing their jobs as they should.
A visit to the cemetery on Monday, last, revealed that there were many tombs in shabby condition – with shrubs and bushes comfortably growing past them.

Some of the concrete tombs were even broken and a few of these tombs had grass and trees almost covering them.
A few persons, including employees of the M&CC who were at the area at that time, told this newspaper that they were surprised at the condition of the burial site.
One woman told this publication that her parents were buried at Le Repentir a number of years ago and it was only recently that her children wanted to visit their tombs to repaint them.
When the family arrived there, they could no longer tell which tombs belonged to their loved ones and had a difficult time in locating them.
“When my children and I arrived here with the paint, I took them to the spots where my parents were buried… well at least that is where I know the tombs were about three years ago, but because of the garbage situation here, I hadn’t come back until now. You see, when we reached, I couldn’t tell which was which until about like half an hour later, because it had a lot of high grown bushes and grass covering the area, and we had to chop and cut down plenty to find the tombs. I want to know why this happened, because when I walk around I could see it was the same at a lot of places in the cemetery,” she said.
An older man explained that his wife was buried at the cemetery just five years ago and he would usually visit the area to place flowers on her tomb whenever it was her birth, death or wedding anniversary.
He explained that he does not rely on the M&CC.
“Yes the M&CC may be responsible for the upkeep and to make sure the tomb areas are clean and so, but you still can’t depend on them to do so most of the time. Maybe it is funds or lack of workers or whatever, but since my wife was buried here I am coming and cleaning as often as I can. We didn’t have children and I am getting older so I hope the M&CC starts doing more soon, because there may come a time when I can’t do the cleaning anymore.”
One youth bluntly stated that he would prefer to be cremated or buried at another location rather than to be buried at Le Repentir.
Recently, the M&CC conducted works at some sections of the cemetery where excavators and other machinery were on site clearing the drains and cutting down overgrown bushes and trees.
This initiative sparked the interest of many residents who live in close proximity to the cemetery, however; they were disappointed when the works came to an abrupt end after only catering for a few sections.
“It was some months ago when they had big machinery inside the cemetery and were clearing some parts and cutting down the big bushes there. We say that they finally doing work that overdue and didn’t think anything when we see them at specific sections, because we say they have to start somewhere and would do most sections if not everywhere. But they only do those parts and left the job undone, because plenty tombs get covered by bush and the trees preventing access to the tombs,” one woman explained.
Another female stated that over a number of years, Le Repentir has been extended and therefore requires a lot of care and upkeep. She said that if the M&CC does not do what is required then families should contribute by doing some of the work themselves.
“We done know the M&CC does cry out fuh anything and full of excuses and don’t do things properly anyhow. But even if this is so, then families should come out and give a helping hand, and I am sure if families come out every four months or so and clean around the tombs of their loved ones then it would help the situation a lot,” she opined.

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