Since a hit-and-run last October, two panels of iron fence have lain on the ground of Elmwood Cemetery along Truman Road. Since then, temporary fencing has done little to keep out unsavory activity and litter. On Wednesday, March 24, that finally changed when apprentices from Ironworkers Local 10 installed a permanent replacement free of charge. John Weilert, President of the Board of Trustees of Elmwood Cemetery Society, was on site to facilitate the long awaited repair. He grew up in the funeral business and has been volunteering with the cemetery for close to 20 years.

“Elmwood is very interesting because it really is a snapshot of the history of Kansas City, and it has a lot of national overtones to it. A lot of people who were buried here did things on a big scale. It’s a history lesson all contained within these 43 acres.” Weilert said. Weilert said at this point, there’s not really room for the cemetery to grow. It was designed in 1872 by George Kessler, who designed Kansas City’s parks and boulevard systems, and the grounds of the World’s Fair in St. Louis. “He’s a world famous landscape architect, and you can see the influence of the park designer in the grounds here,” Weilert said.

“We have about 33,000 people buried here, and when you run out of room there’s no more revenue from burials, but the grass keeps growing. Things continue to deteriorate and you need to fix them. That’s a real challenge.” The Elmwood Cemetery Society relies mostly on donations from families and others in the community to help keep Elmwood going. The cemetery is run solely by volunteers and has no employees.

Knowing the cemetery couldn’t afford to repair the fence, Weilert called Ironworkers Local 10. They immediately agreed to lend a hand. “I figured there are no better welders in town than Ironworkers, and they have a training school… They’ve been wonderful.” Weilert said. Weilert had called on Local 10 a few years ago to work on a different section near Van Brunt Boulevard and they had been very responsive.

Cemetery volunteer Jim Taylor, an Independence resident, began spending most of his week at Elmwood Cemetery after retiring following a 35-year career in Kansas City as an electrician. “I know we may have to do it several times over, but you can see your accomplishment for the work you do out here,” Taylor said. “Whether it’s bagging up leaves or cutting up a tree limb into small amounts, it’s all part of it, and I’ve got family here, too.” A tradesperson himself, Taylor was thrilled to have the apprentices working on the project. “This is great, we really appreciate this because they’re young men and we’re all old,” Taylor said.

“We don’t have income like a newer cemetery and that’s why we appreciate these guys doing what they’re doing.” The Ironworkers apprenticeship program wanted to do more than just a “patch job,” Weilert said. They custom made the two new panels to replicate the original fencing on either side. Each new panel weighs about 200 pounds. The apprentices who completed the work are in their second year of the apprenticeship program. “The apprentices worked on this project as part of their ornamental, welding and fabrication curriculums,” said Instructor, Joe Eckstein, who supervised the project. The project provided a great opportunity for the apprentices, as there is very little opportunity nowadays to work on old ornamental wrought-iron fencing. (Northeast News)