WESTFIELD (WWLP)– Thursday was a day of clean up for many western Massachusetts communities, including Westfield.
A large downed tree forced major cleanup efforts for the Pine Hill Cemetery. It came crashing down during Thursday’s early morning thunderstorms which brought heavy down pours and strong winds throughout the Pioneer Valley.
When that tree came down, it knocked over and damaged several headstones in the cemetery below. By midmorning much of the cleanup had been complete which meant it was then time to assess the damage.
“If we can do it our guys will make sure the foundation is okay and reset the stone if it needs a little more work or if the stone is of a larger size, then we’ll call in a monument company,” said Dale Dickson, Pine Hill Cemetery’s superintendent.
Nearby, Smith Monuments jumped in to help. Owner Gary Tomestic said he’s hopeful they will have the damaged area back to normal in the coming weeks.
“From what I could see the monuments aren’t that big. It will be easy to pick up but the biggest obstacle right now is the mud,” Tomestic said.
Tomestic said they will need to wait for several dry days in a row before they are able to get their equipment in place to turn the fallen headstones right side up.
