More than $28,000 donated in support of Evergreen Cemetery cleanup efforts 

By Chris Spangler

More than $28,000 and countless hours of labor have been donated in the three weeks since a severe storm ravaged Fort Atkinson’s Evergreen Cemetery.

Straight-line winds reaching 70 to 80 miles per hour blew down or damaged 60 to 70 trees on July 28. It also left approximately 7,000 Fort Atkinson households and businesses without electricity.

Assessing the large scope of the cleanup the following morning, cemetery grounds supervisor Raughn Ferrell had estimated that it could cost as much as $1,400 to remove each damaged tree. That would amount to $60,000 to $70,000 just for tree and stump removal.

Immediately, the community stepped forward to help.

PremierBank became the collection point for donations, and announced it would match up to $5,000 given. Then the Fort Atkinson Community Foundation added another $10,000 to the pot.

On Tuesday, PremierBank presented the Evergreen Cemetery Association with a check for $5,635, representing its $5,000 match of community donations — that thus far have totaled more than $12,000 —  and another $635 from its employees. The foundation’s $10,000 brings the total to about $28,000.

“PremierBank is happy to match the contributions donated by the many generous community members in this town with a $5,000 donation,” said Russ Turk, PremierBank chairman, CEO and president. “We, along with the community foundation of Fort Atkinson, are humbled by the many citizens who quickly donated to this cause after the terrible storm hit Fort Atkinson on July 28. We are fortunate to live in such a special place.”

Executive Director Sue Hartwick said that the community foundation board of director’s chairperson, Sue Johnson, had been impressed by PremierBank’s quick effort to encourage donations for the cemetery cleanup by offering the $5,000 match. Thus, she suggested offering to match the full $10,000 and her fellow directors agreed.

“Evergreen Cemetery is an iconic landmark guarding the northern entrance to our city,” Hartwick said. “It is the final resting place for many of our notable citizens and its fabulous tree cover has provided a serene and comforting atmosphere for over 150 years.

“The foundation was happy to join all the volunteers who have rallied to the cemetery’s aid by stepping in to help. We all know insurance will only cover so much and it won’t help with replacing all those beautiful trees that were lost, so we are happy to help with that,” she added.

Chris Martin, a member of the Evergreen Cemetery Association Board of Directors as well as a PremierBank wealth management adviser, noted that while the storm damage is not how Evergreen Cemetery Association wanted to make headlines, it did remind residents of the site’s value to the community.

“For those who have loved ones here, the loved ones’ graves will be visited again and memories cherished,” he said. “It’s sad that it took a tragedy for that to happen, but I think there is a silver lining to that.”

He said that Evergreen Cemetery could be considered a park, as many walkers take advantage of the peaceful setting.

“The board has made it a life goal to make it a park,” he said. “With the trees all down, it has somewhat detracted from that, but we will rebuild. We will bring it back to its glory.”

Martin called the community’s support “astounding and thoughtful,” citing not only the monetary gifts, but also the time and labor people have given to help with the tree cleanup. At least 125 people volunteered to cut and pick up branches and rake leaves, with many returning to work several times.

“That has helped keep some of the costs down. If it wasn’t for that, the costs would be much higher,” Martin said.

He recalled that Krizsan Tree Service of Fort Atkinson had estimated the cemetery tree removal to take at least bout 10 days, but the volunteer assistance has cut that in half.

Since the insurance claim continues to be processed, it is not yet known what damage is being covered.

“Stones themselves are incredibly expensive,” he said. “The Foster marker was damaged had some pieces broken off of it and broke into three pieces. There were several of those like that. They were more of the older ones that had weathered so many storms in the past that they just became brittle.”

He noted that fortunately, the Foster monument — at the gravesite of first non-native settler Dwight Foster’s family and descendants — can be repaired.

Repairing the headstones is the cemetery’s obligation, Martin pointed out.

“Insurance for cemeteries is a very tricky thing,” he said. “Right now, everything is up in the air.”

He and cemetery association President Brad Wilcox said that the that Krizsan Tree Service has been very generous in its donation of time and in billing, as has Jaeckel Bros., which hauled away a lot of big logs. Members of Team Rubicon, veterans and other military and civilian volunteers who provide assistance in domestic disasters — also have been a great help.

“The community really came together to take care of us,” Martin said. “It’s so nice to see the community come back . A lot of them probably hadn’t been up in the cemetery for years, decades even, but after the storm, there were a lot of new faces up here.”

Wilcox said he hopes that this sparks a renewed interested in volunteering at the cemetery and, for plot owners, perhaps even serving on the board of directors.

“We’re very appreciative of all the help we’ve received from the community,” he said, noting that volunteers even came from Cambridge and farther-away locations because they have family buried at Evergreen Cemetery.

“It’s a connection and, because of their concern for the cemetery, we have received a lot of volunteers, both in raking, picking up limbs and taking things to the compost site and by making monetary donations,” Wilcox said. “It’s been encouraging to see how many people have supported the cemetery and, hopefully, the silver living will be that people will continue to support the cemetery.”

He continued: “We’ve always encouraged people to come up and help us maintain this as a park-like setting. We intend to take the donations and purchase new trees and get them planted, hopefully before the end of this year.”

Wilcox said that there still are stumps to chip out, but the board and crew will be looking at new locations in which to plant at least 30 trees of all varieties.

He added that he is proud that only three weeks after the storm, 75 percent of the cemetery is “looking normal.

“It’s groomed, a little airier. That will allow the grass to grow. We’ll put 30 new trees in and that will take us into the future,” he said.