Acacia Park looks to rebuild infrastructure
by NICHOLAS J. PRIMERANO Ken-Ton Editor

Over the course of many years, roads are subject to wear and tear, and those at Acacia Park in North Tonawanda are no exceptions.

Acacia Park is one of those hidden gems of the area that is nestled in a field off Ellicott Creek Road.

In recent years, the roads have come under disrepair, and the cemetery's board of directors has had difficulty finding the necessary funding to fix them.

"One of the biggest hurdles we've faced is the fact that we are a not-for-profit cemetery," said Richard Vaughn. "We are always fighting to come up with funding to maintain the cemetery."

In 2005, there were more than 550 burials in the cemetery, making it one of the busiest cemeteries in Western New York.

With that many burials, there has been a high volume of traffic coming in and out of the cemetery by those attending funerals or those stopping in to pay their respects.

"What we are trying to do is a road restoration project, which will hopefully put them back to at least a driveable condition," said Vaughn.

Many years ago, part of the driveways were paved, but some of them are still rock and gravel.

In order to pave roads throughout the whole property, it would cost upwards of $400,000.

"At the very least, we'd like to be able to come through and grade the property and lay new stone," said Vaughn. "Either one of those projects is very expensive."

The cemetery does have a grounds crew, but it is busy maintaining other areas of the cemetery and does not have the equipment needed to pave all of the grounds.

"What we are trying to do is enlist the support of the general community who can help in anyway that they can to help this project. Western New York is a community of people who care," said Vaughn. "I hope they will band together and help us to see this project to fruition."

Once the cemetery's roads are completed, Acacia Park is going to give families the opportunity to to name the roads after a departed loved one. That project is called the "Memory Lane" project.

Acacia Park was established in 1928 by the local Masons, a fraternal organization whose membership is held together by shared moral and metaphysical ideals and in most of its branches by a constitutional declaration of belief in a supreme being. After several years, the cemetery was opened to all faiths and beliefs.

There are 218 acres on the property.

e-mail: nprimerano@beenews.com