Sikeston, Scott County still waiting to hand over cemeteries

~ A spokesman for the attorney general's office said it isn't surprising the process is taking so long.

Since mid-March, both Sikeston and Scott County have been reluctant caretakers of cemeteries. Thanks to a court order, cemeteries in Sikeston and just outside Morley, Mo., were turned over to the governments after years of neglect by their owner, Mike Graham and Associates, a Houston-based company.

Now July has arrived, and those local governments are still charged with keeping up the cemeteries. The frustration is starting to show as the governments wait for the Missouri attorney general's office to strike a deal with another company or individual who will purchase the cemeteries.

"They keep saying two weeks, two weeks, two weeks," said Scott County Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn. "It's eight weeks later and still nothing."

A Missouri court turned over custody of the Scott County cemeteries -- Garden of Memories Cemetery in Sikeston and Forest Hill Memorial Cemetery near Morley -- in mid-March (Sikeston also took control of another cemetery in New Madrid County) after serious mismanagement by Graham and Associates, which is alleged to have sold pre-need burial plans and markers but not delivering when the services were needed.

At the same time, the attorney general's office began looking for someone to buy the cemeteries from the struggling Graham and Associates, a firm locked in legal action with the AG's office.

So far no deal has been struck.

"We're still working to help facilitate new ownership taking over," said John Fougere, spokesman for the attorney general's office.

Fougere could not comment on when new ownership might take over and didn't answer inquiries about how many parties the office has been working with. But Fougere said it's not surprising the process is taking this long.

"The defendants are out of state and they don't have any real money," Fougere said. The AG office's priority, Fougere said, is to find a remedy for the victims of the mismanagement, which means finding an entity to take over the cemeteries that will fill the contract obligations made by Graham and Associates.

"That takes some time," Fougere said.

Meanwhile Ziegenhorn says the county's frustration is growing.

"You'd think that someone would give us a closing date," said Ziegenhorn, a real estate agent.

Both the county and Sikeston contract mowing services at the cemeteries, and both Ziegenhorn and Sikeston city manager Doug Friend said the governments will keep up with their obligation to maintain the grounds.

However that maintenance has become harder in recent weeks because of rainy, warm weather promoting grass growth, said Friend.

The cemetery issue has fallen on the back burner a bit lately in Sikeston, as the city government has been taking care of other business like formulating and passing its budget, Friend said. But early next week, Friend said, his office will make inquiries with the attorney general about the status of transferring ownership.

For now Sikeston and Scott County can only wait for an answer and continue as they have been.

"We're prepared for having to take care of this throughout the summer," Friend said.

Ziegenhorn said he's confident someone will take over the cemetery near Morley eventually. He just hopes that happens sooner rather than later.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182