Parking is a problem at Woodland Cemetery east of Taopi.

The tiny rural cemetery is surrounded by Minnesota Highway 56, a Mower County gravel road and farmland as well as the new Shooting Star recreational trail.

To alleviate possible traffic safety hazards, the cemetery's trustees want Mower County to share in the creation of an off-road parking area for funeral parties and other visitors to the cemetery.

The county commissioners are divided over the prospect.

Ray Tucker, 2nd District, made the request to the county board members Tuesday that Mower County share in the costs to develop a parking area for the cemetery.

Located at the intersection of Mower County Nos. 9 and 11 as well as the state highway and recreation trail, Tucker said, "there's just no place for them to go. There's a tiny driveway leading into the cemetery, but it goes nowhere."

Tucker, whose 2nd District includes the area, said the cemetery's trustees are willing to tear down fencing and maintain the new parking area if the county will lay a drainage pipe in the ditch and cover it with dirt to crating to create the off-road parking lot.

Michael Hanson, Mower County engineer, estimated the cost of the work by the county at $10,000.

Otherwise, visitors to the cemetery will have to park along the highway or gravel road.

"I'm not opposed to the cemetery board paying for filling in the ditch and installing a pipe, but why should we be involved? I don't think you can justify the county getting involved in this," said Len Miller, 4th District and chairman of the county board

"The cemetery board doesn't have the money to do everything," Tucker said.

"When is the last time the cemetery was used?" asked David Hillier, 3rd District, who wanted to know how much traffic and how often it was generated by a funeral at the Taopi cemetery.

"They're using it and they're selling plots for grave sites," Tucker said.

"Then let them raise the rates and make more money. This project benefits only the cemetery people," he said.

At that point, Craig Oscarson, county coordinator, interjected that state law may govern whether the county can participate in the project. He urged the commissioners to delay their response to the cemetery board pending a review of laws with Woody Vereide, Mower County Auditor.

Tucker wanted swifter action.

"They do have a real problem out there," Tucker said. "There's no doubt about that."

Tucker said there were other rural cemeteries with similar situations as Woodlawn Cemetery at Taopi, where possible traffic safety hazards exist when large numbers of funeral vehicles must park on township roads.

Richard P. Cummings, 1st District, said it would be important to know the average daily traffic numbers for the highway and township roads around the cemetery

Oscarson said the information would be collected and shared with the county commimssioenrs a their next meeting.

In other action Tuesday, the county commissioners agreed to meet Sept. 4 with the Mower County Historical Society to discuss the placement of a proposed new agriculture display building at the fairgrounds.

The building could be built in a north-south siting with a U-pattern floor plan or an east-west building in the southeast corner of the fairgrounds.

Miller said, the siting of the new building is important to the future development plans for the fairgrounds including the Mower County Historical Center.

Lee

Bonorden can be reached at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com