Town conducts survey for cemetery sign
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The Town of Tillsonburg is conducting a survey regarding changes made to the Tillsonburg Cemetery sign several months ago.
“Last year there was a new sign erected in front of the cemetery and the old lettering sign was taken away,” said Paul DeCloet, chair of the cemetery sign sub-committee with the Heritage, Beautification and Cemetery Advisory Committee. “It’s created some discussion among the citizens of Tillsonburg, it’s come to council’s attention and they’ve asked our sub-committee to do a questionnaire to ask people about the signage.”
In response to discussion among residents over the past several months,
the Town has decided to gather feedback and public opinion over the new sign that now stands in the Tillsonburg Cemetery.
“It’s not a vote – they’re asking people for their opinions,” he said. “It’s a simple survey, there’s only two questions on it – would you like to see the present signage stay or would you like to see the old signage for the Tillsonburg Cemetery and the lettering on the slope re-instated.”
DeCloet said there could be several reasons why changes in the signage have caused mixed reaction from the people of Tillsonburg.
“There’s people who have emotional attachments here – it’s a cemetery,” said DeCloet noting that the age of the former white pre-cast cemetery sign might also be a reason.
“We have not found any documentation as to how long the old letters were there. People have given their opinions on it - I’ve heard it was over 100 years but we have no way to substantiate that at this point in time,” he added.
While there appears to be no definite answer as to how long the former pre-cast white cemetery sign was in place, DeCloet said that some residents were attached to the historic aspect and significance of the sign itself because of the cemetery’s important historical role in Tillsonburg for several decades.
“As our last resting place it carries all our history with us,” he said. “There’s a plot here from the Tillson family – there are 17 Tillsons buried on that particular site and there’s several families, the early settlers of Tillsonburg that also have family plots here.
“I think it’s just an incredibly beautiful and quite an historic place to be.”
The sub-committee was established to conduct the public survey and allow the people to have their say and voice their opinions on what they would like to see in their town cemetery.
“Also in the questionnaire they’re asking for comments from people on how the cemetery could be improved or perhaps their reasoning for why they chose that sign. I think that could be just as important as the questions themselves,” said DeCloet.
The survey began this past Monday (July 8) and is available on the Town website or at any Town office. The sub-committee is asking that it be filled out and returned by Friday, August 9, 2013.
DeCloet hopes the cemetery sign survey will help provide clear direction and an answer to the ongoing discussions over the past several months.
“We will tabulate the returns and pass them onto council and council at the end will deal with it,” said DeCloet. “We hope a lot of people give us some feedback – we’re at the point where we need it (feedback).
“This is an issue that needs to be put to rest.”
For more information contact Deputy Clerk, Amber Zimmer at (519) 688-3009 ext: 3221 or email at azimmer@tillsonburg.ca