Birmingham cemetery making upgrades after CBS 42 investigation

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — An East Lake cemetery in disrepair has started making necessary renovations following a CBS 42 Your Voice Your Station investigation from earlier this year.

Quana Reaves and her family had buried their grandparents at Zion Memorial Gardens . When they tried to visit them earlier this year , the headstone was gone and the grass and graves were washed away.

Councilor J.T. Moore toured Zion Memorial Gardens during Mother’s Day weekend to check on the progress.

“It’s a lot of improvement here,” Moore said. “It renews confidence, and it renews trust. That’s what we want.”

Moore got emotional during a Birmingham City Council meeting in February while speaking about the families’ accounts of their loved ones’ resting places.

“You’re reopening a wound that people have already or are already trying to heal from,” Moore said.

Moore promised he would work to help them out. Now, the entrance has been landscaped and new mulch and rocks surround the office. Grass has also regrown and been cut. This is all in addition to new ownership, management and staff.

“I feel confident that [the] staff will do what’s necessary so that people feel comfortable about continuing to visit their family members here as well as continuing to use this space as the final resting place for their family members,” Moore said.

Cemetery officials said progress is only 75 percent complete, but the plan is to finish it quickly.

The new owner was not available for comment for this story, but a statement from Director Beverly Luchansky says:

“We understand that the solution will also take some time. We appreciate your patience. We are dedicated to doing a better job for our customers.”

Beverly Luchansky, Director of Zion Memorial Gardens

Reaves and her family have hired an attorney, so they are not able to speak with the media on camera. The family said they’re happy changes have been made at the cemetery but have plans to move their family to a cemetery in Montevallo. The attorneys are currently working out the logistics.

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