DUKE CENTER — Christmas came early for the Otto Township Cemetery Association when chair Sharon Schwab announced at July’s meeting that it will be the recipient of not one, but two new zero-turn mowers courtesy of Jim Coast Sales and Service of Duke Center.

Owner Dan Coast had previously given the association two used lawn tractors for the cemetery upkeep, but has since determined that the repairs and maintenance of them were both preventing regular cemetery mowing and costing his shop time and money. His generosity in providing the new machines will assure that both township cemeteries will be properly cared for and that his business will continue to be the exemplary model of small town enterprises.

The cemetery association, acknowledging the commitment and monetary values of Coast Sales’ philanthropy, has agreed to solicit estimates for the purchase or construction of two wooden storage sheds to be placed at the cemeteries to house the mowers and other lawn care equipment. Locks and cameras will both be employed to ensure security of the buildings and contents.

David Silvis was present and welcomed aboard as a new member of the association, replacing Kelly Pearce, who resigned last month. SIlvis will be an asset in both the current operations and the historical recovery of data which is tantamount in correctly identifying and mapping both the Rixford and Duke Center graveyards.

Elizabeth Allen of Bradford is currently surveying both properties, enabling the association to know the exact boundaries and the limitations of expansion and future burial space. Eldred’s Jack Bell, of Bell and Bell Excavating, has agreed to dig a drainage ditch across the top of the Duke Center property to correct the too-often unmowable conditions.

And yet another community-minded soul stepped forward and offered his time and equipment. Rob Stuck used his front-end loader to resurface the road that bisects the Rixford cemetery. The gravel washing down the sloped roadway is a continuing problem which requires the association’s devising a better solution than merely moving the gravel back up the hill once or twice a year. Anyone knowledgable in road construction and maintenance who wishes to suggest, advise or undertake the project is welcome to contact a member of the cemetery group.

The association is looking for someone willing and able to set up a spread sheet and create a database to enable users to locate and identify both interred persons and available plots. Anyone interested should contact Sharon Schwab at 558-4973 or on the association’s Facebook page.