Sale of Hudson pet cemetery on hold

HUDSON -- The owner of a pet cemetery in Hudson says he will not sell it with the rest of his land, but needs help to preserve and maintain it.

Duane Glass says he will continue to operate and maintain the Boston Hills Pet Memorial Park as best he can, but is looking for a suitable person or group to take it over and run it someday.

The future of the cemetery was cast into doubt several weeks ago when Glass put his property up for auction. His 23 acres in Hudson included the 3 1/2 acre pet cemetery. But Glass says any future sale of the land will not include the cemetery.

"I am open to anyone who wants to step up and take the cemetery over, or offers to buy the whole place," Glass wrote to Channel 3's Dick Russ in an email. He did not want to be interviewed in person or on camera.

Concerned pet owners were relieved that the cemetery land won't be included in any future sale of the property, but are still concerned about what they call the deteriorating condition of the cemetery and its uncertain future.

"I don't care what he does with the rest of the property," says Carol Westfall of Valley View, who has nine dogs buried at Boston Hills at a cost of well over $20,000, "but leave the road, leave the building, and leave the parking for the people that have animals here so they can come in and out."

The potential sub-dividing of the property is point of contention among Glass, the pet owners, and the City of Hudson. Pet owners want any parceling of the land to include parking, access, and maintenance buildings. So does the city.

"We don't have to split down the middle of the gentleman's home," says Bob Cultrona of Mentor who buried his Old English sheepdog Abby there in 2005. "We understand he's under a financial hardship."

Cultrona, Westfall, and more than 200 other people who have pets buried at Boston Hills will meet on February 27 to discuss potential solutions. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Valley View Community Center.

Glass, who was originally going to attend the meeting, has changed his mind, he says, "due to all the negative and incorrect information cast on the cemetery and myself."

As for Glass' offer that the City of Hudson take over the pet cemetery, Hudson Communications Manager Jody Roberts tells Channel 3 News it would not be financially possible.

"There's maintenance issues and all kinds of things we'd have to take over from a taxpayers point of view," explains Roberts, "and we weren't interested."

The city is keeping an eye on the situation with a concern for the future of the Boston Hills Pet Memorial Park.

"We'd love to see the cemetery remain for the dog owners," says Roberts, "It's been a good place but we obviously have a concern about the property."

The City of Hudson and pet owners have researched Ohio laws which pertain to pet cemeteries and point out that making substantial changes to such property is very difficult. In addition the pet cemetery contains the cremated remains of a number of people who were eventually interred near their pets.

Some of the pet owners say any potential solution to preserve the pet cemetery must be legally binding and permanent.

"This is a long term committment," says Cultrona. "This isn't for two years or five years. This is the next 100 years. When you bury anybody the expectation is that's their final resting place."

Pet owners also want to know what became of the more than $25,000 they sent to Glass last year to help with maintenance costs. They claim he cannot account for the money's use on the property. Glass said the money was used "to replace equipment and offset Building & Grounds deficit."

Westfall is skeptical. "Show me a new piece of equipment and I'll pay for it," she told Channel 3 News. She also says people who have pet buried at Boston Hills are willing to chip in under the right conditions.

"Everybody is offering money," she said. "I don't know how much money has been offered to me already and I refuse to take any." Westfall says offers of funds should be withheld until some formal agreement on the pet cemetery's future is reached.

She is not surprised so many people are planning to attend the February 27 meeting.

"I think people love their animals and they don't want to see anything happen to their animals."

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