Repairing storm damage to old Haapsalu cemetery could be lengthy
A recent powerful storm brought down a large number of trees, causing damage to 67 tombs at the old cemetery in Haapsalu. The cost of repairs will determine whether or not cemetery plots could be restored within a year.
Now that the broken trees and heavier stumps have been removed from the old cemetery in Haapsalu, the 67 storm-damaged grave sites have been photographed and the restorer, Aigor Soika, is preparing a damage assessment. Based on this information, the municipality of Haapsalu will be able to estimate the cost of the restoration. The city aims to issue the restoration tender this year.
"We will definately issue the tender this year, as many of the tombstones are repairable in your workshops and can be reinstalled when spring comes, so not all the work has to be done in the cemetery. We can also do the preparatory work for garden repairs in our own workshops," Ülla Paras, the development specialist at the Haapsalu City Government, said.
It is not ruled out, however, that not everything will be completed within a year. "It depends on bids, the cost of the restoration, and whether we can fund this within a year," Paras noted.
As the historic cemetery is under heritage protection, "we will make an application and if the heritage protection board supports our endeavor, that will be a tremendous help," said the development officer.
Paras said that this was the most severe storm-related damage to the historic cemetery in Haapsalu in at least two decades.
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Editor: Kristina Kersa
