Submitted by JCGC
Thanks to community support of the 2023-24 “Preserve. Honor. Sustain” capital giving campaign, Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati is now able to begin its largest cemetery restoration project to date. The Clifton Cemetery will soon have its eroding hillside stabilized, a long-delayed project that can finally begin only because the nearly $250,000 needed is now available from the campaign’s proceeds.
The project aims to shore up the slipping hillside, which has slid onto the pedestrian sidewalk along Ludlow Avenue. Clifton Cemetery has been closed to grave plot sales for the past few years awaiting this needed work.
Operations Manager Carrie Rhodus explained that a retaining wall will be constructed at the south end of the cemetery, replacing the existing fence. Pier foundations will then be created to provide better support for the monuments on the hillside (Sections H through R) and to help shore up the hill.
Crews are scheduled to begin the project the week of October 14, 2024. This work will include temporarily removing all the monuments from the hillside. Each monument will be palletized, wrapped, and transported to a secure location for the duration of the project, then reinstalled once the new foundations are poured.
Rhodus pointed out, “We want the public to know that the unusual new look won’t be cause for alarm, but actually a sign of progress. We do regret that the peace in the cemetery will be temporarily disrupted, but it really is necessary to prevent even worse possibilities, like graves becoming exposed.”
Signage at the construction site explains the project to passersby and cemetery visitors. Construction fencing will be in place throughout. The cemetery will be under construction throughout the winter; work is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2025.
