This one is a heartbreaker. Due to the high school renovation, tonight's fireworks are to be shot off from the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. The cemetery is closed to mourners. One woman lost her husband six years ago and couldn't visit his grave to celebrate his favorite holiday like she usually did.
“It’s wrong. It’s just wrong,” said Stefanie Hertz, who was one of several residents angered by the choice of location.
Residents argued the township could have chosen somewhere else to shoot off the fireworks.
“It's disrespectful. You don't plan a celebration around people who've just passed, that obviously are missed,” said Hertz.
Mt. Lebanon's municipal manager did not return a call requesting comment.
56 comments:
This is wrong on so many levels. Is there nothing sacred in this town?
Cemeteries are quiet places where people can go to mourn and remember their deceased loved ones, not a site from which raucous fireworks are blasted.
Also, if I recall correctly, Mt. Lebanon Cemetery is an historical site, which again implies solitude and reverence.
What kind of a lesson is this for our kids? The message I hear is: we'll do anything to keep them entertained.
Maddie Miller
I was stunned to hear something about this on Channel 4 news early this evening. Anchor Wendy Bell actually said she agreed with the sobbing women who were interviewed.
I feel like a more appropriate site could have been found. How about Jefferson Field? How about the municipal golf course?
Keep in mind that all the surrounding communities, as well as the city, have fireworks displays going on. Also, we could have rented a nearby stadium.
Here is the link to the video that was shown on Channel 4:
http://www.wtae.com/news/local/allegheny/Township-s-decision-to-shoot-off-fireworks-from-cemetery-upsets-residents/-/10927008/15403604/-/11q1094/-/index.html
Carole Brown
How about McNeilly Park and its 23 acres of hillside nothingness ? It would also serve to entertain Dormont, Baldwin, you name it !
What were our leaders thinking ?
According to a January 20, 2012 report from Steve Feller, the municipal staff met that week to start planning the July 4 events on Washington Road. It was decided to hold a concert in Clearview Common and to launch fireworks from Mt. Lebanon Cemetery.
Elaine
How about launching the fireworks from Middle or Wildcat fields? They must be good for something.
Holidays are to be spent with family - living or deceased. Poor judgement, Staff.
From the Municipal website:
"Mt. Lebanon’s Centennial fireworks extravaganza, provided by Pyrotecnico, will take place Uptown on Washington Road this year. Construction at the high school makes it impossible to shoot the fireworks from the traditional site, so the display will originate at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery beginning at 9:30 p.m. Washington Road will be closed between Bower Hill Road and Lebanon Avenue from 7 to 11 pm, so people may sit in the street (bring chairs) for the fireworks and the concert that precedes the display, which Recreation Director David Donnellan says will be “bigger and better than usual” in celebration of Mt. Lebanon’s 100th anniversary. The popular band Airborne, featuring Jeff Jimerson, will take the stage at Alfred Street and Washington Road at 7:30. There will be a few food vendors along the road. Both the south and north parking garages will be open, and parking Uptown is free that night."
Elaine
The fireworks were wonderful, the location was fantastic. I hope that they are done the sme next year! My loved one who are buried there were celebrating with us!
Maybe next year they can use Raja's yard.
How nice for Anonymous 1:26. Perhaps he/she would find this site of interest:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania_laws_regarding_burial_practices_and_cemeteries/1956
There's also the state fireworks laws:
http://www.pyroesq.com/?page_id=74
Holidays are typically family events, which is why most holidays find visitors at their loved ones' graves...except here in Mt. Lebanon.
What a sad legacy of entitlement and disrespect this town is leaving its young people.
Disillusioned
The fireworks were glorious! All of you folks on this blog ever do is complain and whine, no wonder why the ten of you aren't taken seriously.
The uptown atmosphere was perfect, I agree that the fireworks should be held there even when the high school is finished.
Aww, isn't that cute, Elaine...you have a troll. Hey, everyone, look at the comment from 845! Yeah, writeen like a 12 year-old. So sweet.
To the commenter: why don't you get off mommy's computer and go do something fun today, little one. Maybe go to the pool or walk uptown to grab some pizza at Mineo's. But please stop playing online. This site is for grown-ups.
Hey 8:45 why don't you get off your smug, self- centered, a** drive over to the woman's house that was in tears on the newscast and tell HER how wonderful the day was.
Hopefully, after you've picked teeth off the floor you'll come to a realization that the world doesn't revolve around YOUR happiness.
I don 't think I've ever read a more uncaring, uncompassionate post on any topic here, on bloglebo or in the papers.
Get your little digs in, it's all about you right 8:45!
Need proof you're self-centered 8:45. Not once is there a mention, in your suggestion that they should hold them there every year that they make some concession for people like the woman on the news. No feelings for her at all, it's as if she doesn't exist.
The only thing that matters to you is that they were wonderful!
You are a pompous ass!
If you would ignore their comments, then they get no satisfaction in getting a rise out of us.
My heart went out for that widow, still grieving for her husband after six years. She must have had a wonderful marriage, which might be something the others cannot comprehend.
Elaine
No, I don't think you can ignore their comments Elaine, because this exemplifies exactly the attitudes that prevail in some quarters of this community.
Their little world is all about them. Doesn't matter if the things that makes them feel "wonderful" makes someone else feel sad, or interrupts their life.
They felt good, woman crying... hey it's "What Me Worry!"
No, compromise, no let's make a concession to the families that have loved ones in the cemetery. Noooo, it's hey let's do it every year.
Let's borrow $1.125 million because "I" want artificial turf. "I" don't want to pay for it of course, I want "you" to pay for it.
Tired of these people.
I also believe it was an extremely disrespectful decision. I cringe when I drive by and see the public safety building workers using the cemetery road closest to Washington Rd. to park their cars.
Did we not plan ahead to assure there were enough spaces for employees and visitors to park in the lot?
1:26 AM Do you dance on their graves too?
Signed,
One foot in the grave
Here's the deal, I have family buried in the cemetery, we have empty plots there also and they aren't cheap.
While to me having the fire works there wasn't a big deal, understanding the situation with the high school construction. I don't see why they couldn't have used Wildcat and suggest for the next several years that should be the venue.
What I do have a problem with though is my family's contract with the cemetery.
Access to the graves is supposed to be open and for the cemetery to allow the municipality to deny that access is a breach of contract. The municipality does not have the power thru immanent domain or otherwise to deny people access to the cemetery.
Should the muni/cemetary do so next year I might have to make a federal case of it.
Really what if a family member died. We'd have to schedule the internment around Mt. Lebanon fireworks! Or navigate around mortar pots? Are you kidding.
10:58- it's interment, not internment. I'm not kidding.
I challenge you, 10:58 to walk in the cemetery at 9:30 in the evening for a few days and count the number of graveside visitors and/or burials. The were no interments rescheduled. my loved one who is buried there would be ecstatic that fireworks for the fourth were held there in honor of the country for which he proudly served.
11:26, the cemetery was closed during the day. We're not talking about 9:30 at night. If you watched the video, it was broad daylight when the woman was denied access. How difficult would it have been to take her by the hand, to visit her husband's grave? What would it have been? Five minutes? It appears the woman wasn't a resident of Mt. Lebanon. How would she have known that the cemetery was closed? Which brings me to another point. Did Mt. Lebanon Cemetery alert next of kin of the event so that this would have been avoided?
Elaine
Elaine
Elaine, to answer your question - we weren't.
11:13 thank you so much for pointing out my mistake. I do know the difference between internment and interment. You are such a dear for correcting me.
11:26 please read my comment carefully. I never said not to hold the fireworks there.
I suggested that only 120 yards down the hill from the usual site is Wildcat Field and that venue would not inconvenience anyone.
Nor did my comment say any "interments" had to be rescheduled. I did say, that if we had a funeral and were denied access to the plot or had to work around MTL fireworks, I'd be angry.
As for Elaine's suggestion of allowing someone to walk thru the fireworks setup, I'm not sure that would be a good idea considering the accident that occurred with San Diego's display.
I'd hate to be paying respects and have a rocket hgo
See I and my family paid good money for access to the cemetery. When the deeds were signed, there was no mention that we could be denied access on holidays or daytime hours. Or that burials would have to be scheduled for the convenience of municipality fireworks.
I knew that the fireworks were going to be launched from the cemetery, but it never dawned on me that the cemetery would have to close during the day. I have no idea what kind of prep work is involved to set up fireworks. A friendly LeboAlert stating that the cemetery would be closed in preparation of the fireworks display would have been helpful.
I understand that no fireworks were launched from any gravesites. The cemetery is 65 acres. Perhaps, the woman could have been escorted safely to the gravesite.
Elaine
I'm betting Elaine 11:13 and 11:26 are the same person.
Quick to point out someone else's error, but oblivious to the fact that while no burials far as we know were rescheduled a family member was denied access to a grave site. Not at 9:30pm, during daylight hours.
Could they have let the woman in escorted, I don't know. Watching the news video it looked like the launch sites were situated close to a number of headstones. Would it be safe if her husband's was in the middle of the set up?
The cemetary office is closed on the 4th of July.
The grounds are open 7:30 - 5:00 PM Sunday thru Friday.
http://www.mountlebanoncemetery.com/hours/
This is certainly interesting. I wonder if the MTL cemetery is libel for not notifying families of a hazardous situation.
Cemetery Companies: Interment rights, restore and maintain Act (PDF) of November 24, 1992 (P.L. 730, No. 110)
This act states that interment rights may be deemed abandoned if they were granted by a cemetery company or burial association; if they were not used for 50 years; and if the owners or their heirs cannot be located. The act also stipulates that ownership of previously deemed abandoned grounds may be regained (or similar right may be awarded) if owners present themselves within 30 years after the interment rights have been deemed abandoned.
This act also states that burial ground caretaker organizations or landowners are not obligated to keep a burial ground "safe for entry or use by others or to give any warning of a dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity on the premises of a historical burial place." However, the act also notes that burial ground caretaker organizations or landowners may be found libelous "for willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity on the premises of a historic burial place."
Is Lebo cemetery a historic burial place? Launching fireworks is definitely a dangerous use!
So did the MTL cemetery cause
Ms. Hertz emotional pain and suffering for not notifying or warning her of a dangerous use on the premises prior to her visit?
Seems like a good case for some legal beagle.
How did a TV channel find that woman if they were not alerted in advance? It sounds like politics at work.
Oh yes a conspiracy theory, of course.
Could possibly be the station was there to cover the odd fireworks display set off in a cemetery.
I'll bet there was a third gunman on the grassy knoll too.
Is this a great community or what?
I'm with you 5:13. My guess is maybe one of those "most interesting man in the world" types had to forgo his 6th Dos Equis and walked the 10 blocks or so from his usual backyard seat butting the high school grounds to partake of the extravaganza. And they were mad as hell and want to make sure they can drink and stay put next year!
Go get 'em 5:13, expose the conspiracy!
Copy/Paste and enjoy the weekend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5lbNXNn3CI&feature=youtu.be
... "stay thirsty my friend!"
I found an old Blog-Lebo post about July 4 which really took me back in time. http://bloglebo.blogspot.com/2007/07/hidden-mt-lebanon-chapter-two.html?m=1
The sense of community. The wonderful memories. And that was only from 2007.
Look at what we have become. The sense of entitlement. The attitude of "Who cares about anyone else." Or "P*ss on the mourners - let's do it again."
This is disgusting.
Elaine
Exactly 5:13, one"tearful" mourner, and 5,000 people enjoying the holiday. I'll bet there are many veterann's families who were thinking of their loved ones buried in the cemetery who would have been proud that the fireworks were shining on their graves. No wait, they would want 10:58 and 2:21 to make a "federal case" out of it.
There was no "entitlement" all of your righteous indignation Makes you all look like a bunch of whacko's!
As long as you're comfortable 5:13.
Hey Franklin - how about calling off the dogs! You and your henchmen are always whining about the "attacks" made on you cry babies. So why is it okay for you to do it here and on your blog? Elaine is right. Who cares about anyone else?
News flash to those who want to criticize the blog posts:
Nobody is forcing you to read this blog. That's your choice because we still---but maybe not for long---have some freedoms in this country.
Here's something else to think about: Outsiders are not all that impressed with us. In fact, many consider this place a joke. They are particularly astounded by the amount of bond issues.
And, no, I am not Elaine.
P.S. If you can't handle criticism, start handling the purse strings better and consider making some staff changes.
5:13 in this great state of Mt. Lebanon the only place to launch fireworks while there is high school construction is the cemetery.
Rather than calling people whackos why don't you indulge us and explain why we can't use Wildcat or Jefferson Fields.
Oh and by the way you self-centered egotistical ass, how many people at WTAE do you think thought the story was worth airing.
Yeah I know they're all whacks too.
Oops I didn't mean 5:13 . The 7:49 comment was meant for 7:01 pm.
5:40, the fourth gunman was on the grassy knoll.
8:07 it's silly but I'll play along.
"Number of shots
Based on the "consensus among the witnesses at the scene" and "in particular the three spent cartridges", the Warren Commission determined that "the preponderance of the evidence indicated that three shots were fired".[74] In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded there were four shots, one coming from the direction of the grassy knoll.[77]"
Try to focus please. Anyone who does a Google search on this topic is going to think we are whackos. Grassy knolls? Warren Commission? Conspiracies?
Why is it so difficult to comprehend that holidays may be difficult for some people? How can people be so cold hearted to think this was a setup? If the woman called the media, and I'm not saying that she did, so what? The bottom line is that she couldn't spend the holiday with her husband. It has nothing to do with the what others living or dead think about fireworks in the cemetery. Personally, I don't think it was appropriate to be shooting fireworks from a cemetery, but if I was denied seeing my loved ones, and never notified, I would be upset too.
So let's show a little compassion, folks.
Elaine
Put turf at Wildcat before we shoot fireworks.
You can't shoot fireworks on artificial turf - it will void the warranty. I'm sure YSA will have a good proposal in lieu of Wildcat...
Exactly Elaine.
We have a year before the next display.
You and several others suggest that maybe this wasn't the best choice. That maybe we might consider the few people denied access and look for an alternative or a way to let people into the cemetery.
Right away the conversation turns to "NO we liked it. No discussion. No alternatives. Did and done, now shut up you wackos!"
Nice community.
Mt. Lebanon is represented by five wards, each of which has an elected commissioner.
In turn, each commissioner's ward is made up of people of different ages, sexes, interests and viewpoints. All residents should be able to access his or her commissioner with an issue or to make suggestions.
If everyone in all wards felt they were represented fairly, much of this rancor would disappear.
Issues should be decided by honest discourse aimed at finding the best solution.
The best-run communities operate in this manner.
We can and should do better.
- Jobless Rate 8.2%
- The underemployment rate increased to 14.9 percent.
- $600 billion in higher taxes and reductions in government programs will take place in 2013.
- Mount Lebanon residents are restless about fireworks.
Fireworks are the least of Mt. Lebanon's many problems.
Anon 5:13. Resorts to name calling. The fields are too close to housing to be used as a launch site. In fact bigger shells were used at the cemetery site than could be used at the rockpile because of housing too close there as well. So I guess that I can call you a "self centered egotistical dumb ass"!
Are the houses too close also at the golf course, Jefferson Field, Mellon Field, Markham Field, McNeilly Park and Twin Hills Park and the public works property off of Kelso Road, too?
Not only do you need adequate separation distances for spectators and occupied structures (none of the sites would work with the exeption of the golf course, you also need an area that is capable of accomodating 10,000 + spectators and has adequate parking. Not justifying, just saying...
I think the golf course would be pleasant because people could bring blankets and sit on the hills. Parking issues could be avoided by having shuttles running from sites like the Port Authority parking site on Castle Shannon Boulevard.
10:17 yes could call me that, but unlike you I can recognize a residence when I see it.
What do you call those structures directly across from the T station on Shady.
Those homes whose backyards butt right up to the cemetery property! I guess Main Line doesn't count for you either, simply because you don't want it too. It doesn't fit in with your agenda.
I'll bet if the set up just beyond first base at Middle Field on the foul line they'd be further from structures than they were at the cemetery, excluding the Rec Center.
As for seating, why could people sit in the stadium (they used it for grsduation), in the park, on the hillside by the volleyball court and may around the pool? Gee, they could even open the snack bar and make a few bucks and use the pool sound sutem for a simulcast.
Nah, it doesn't meet your agenda does it to turf Wildcat/Middle before the 2013 tax bills hit.
Yeah go ahead call me what you will, but at least I can recognize a house when i see one!
I was watching the fireworks around the library thinking how in the world they can have fireworks in the cemetery (guilty feeling). There was a lady with a dog who looked not very happy. At the end of fireworks, this lady started to yell "well done, Mt Lebanon!". A person said something to this lady and there were lots of F-words from this lady starting argument. Apparently she is a resident of Mt Lebanon (I won't say the street name even though she shouted it out.) Guess what! I found out later that it was the same lady in the same clothes as I was watching youtube clip.
In my opinion, Mt Lebanon officials should have thought about this very carefully. In the country where I used to live for a long time, this kind of thing would be viewed as tremendous insult to the family and disrespect to the deceased. What a disrespectful decision over 100th year celebration. I feel sorry that I was a part of this thing by watching the fireworks.
A question nobody has asked.
Why couldn't they have lveled the dirt pile on the rock pile for the set up?
Other than the big mound of dirt things wouldn't have been drastically different at the high school.
No one was allowed to use the parking area parallel to the rock pile. No one was allowed in the past to sit on Horsman or Stadium. So what was the big deal? You cordon off the construction areas and everybody enjoys the show.
Traffic exits afterwards just as they do during the school day.
A few seating spots are lost but overall not much.
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