Kensico-One Hundred Years of Solicitude

By Judy Mitchell of Kensico Cemetery and Leslie McGuire, managing editor. Photos Courtesy of Kensico Cemetery

The tools include a work trailer, dump vehicles, 21-inch mowers, 52-inch mowers, weed whackers, hedge trimmers, leaf blowers, snow blowers and other necessary tools.

With 460 acres to attend to and over 2000 interments a year to supervise, it takes a very tight organization to maintain the most visible aspects of Kensico Cemetery. Visitors, as well as staff, have come to expect the lawns manicured, the shrubs trimmed, the paths cleared and the crew well trained and helpful.

It wasn?EUR??,,????'???t always organized and easy to take care of Kensico. There were lean times in Kensico?EUR??,,????'???s past when the development of new areas and the upgrades to buildings and equipment were just not possible. But now, after more than 100 years in operation, Kensico cemetery has reached a point in its history where the level of activity, the preferences of the public and the mandates of state and federal regulatory agencies require a complex operation to manage the people, the process and the property at Kensico.

Kensico is committed to the long view. They watch for declining and damaged trees and shrubs. Money is set aside each year for replacement and renewal to sustain the rural landscape in perpetuity.

Organization is the Key to Success

Each of Kensico?EUR??,,????'???s six sections is handled as if it were its own cemetery, supervised by a foreman with a field staff of three to nine people depending on the size of the section and the level of activity. Sections range in size from 30 to 60 acres. Sharon Gardens is 76 acres.

During the winter months, a jackhammer may be required to break through the frozen topsoil, and snow blowers and shovels are required to clear paths to the gravesite.

During the fall, the focus is on leaf removal. Thousands of pounds of maple and oak leaves are blown or raked, collected, mixed with soil and composted for later use as mixture for tree planting.

Having the Right Tools

The equipment required to handle interments throughout the cemetery include four loader backhoes, two flatbed trucks, 27 tents with artificial turf, 20 chairs, two air compressors, one shoring grave box, one lowering device and dozens of other tools and equipment. The average interment requires a labor force of nine employees. The team includes the Superintendent or an Assistant Superintendent, a machine operator, a jobs truck driver, a foreman and five members of the grounds crew.

All equipment is regularly checked for repair and replacement. To ensure safety, employees are provided protective gear and extensive training in the operation of heavy machinery.

All monuments require a foundation area to be dug. The 440 mausoleums and sarcophagi on the grounds are routinely checked for repairs and re-pointing.

Nature Just Keeps on Going and Growing

During the spring growing season the mowing never stops. It takes 7 to 10 days to completely cut the grass throughout the cemetery. Once all the lawns at Kensico have been mowed, it is time to start the cycle again. Spring clean up includes filling in any graves that may have settled during the winter, removal of damaged trees or limbs, the planting of any new or replacement trees and shrubs, and the disposal of any remaining holiday wreaths and decorations.

Special care areas are supervised by an Assistant Superintendent with a crew of four and two special masons. All monuments require a foundation area to be dug. The 440 mausoleums and sarcophagi on the grounds are routinely checked for repairs and re-pointing.

Each of Kensico?EUR??,,????'???s six sections is handled as if it were its own cemetery, supervised by a foreman with a field staff of three to nine people depending on the size of the section and the level of activity.

Every interment includes locating, checking, staking, excavating, refilling, tamping and reseeding the grave. After the service, filling, seeding and cleaning up the site must be done along with removal of all equipment.

Every Season Brings New Challenges

During the fall, the focus is on leaf removal. Thousands of pounds of maple and oak leaves are blown or raked, collected, mixed with soil and composted for later use as mixture for tree planting.

In the 1970s the maintenance included widening and landscaping of the Tower entrance, improvements to the community mausoleum and the rip-rapping of the brook between the Sharon Gardens division of Kensico and Gate of Heaven. At the time, Louis Palmerini, recently retired after 50 years as Superintendent of Grounds, ?EUR??,,????'??It took us almost one whole year to complete the rip-rapping of Minnetonka Brook. I operated the backhoe, lifting hundreds of rocks into place on both sides of the banks and along the floor of the stream. It was hard work, but the soil there is protected from erosion and our willow trees have a secure base by the brook.?EUR??,,????'??

During the winter, major snowstorms can dump more than 30-inches of snow, creating drifts exceeding 10 feet. Using four snowplows, the maintenance crew requires as much as a full day to clear the 15 miles of roads, 12 miles of paths plus all parking areas.

Trees, Trees and More Trees

In 1889 when the Board of Supervisors of White Plains, N.Y. approved the acquisition of 250 acres, Kensico was largely open land. The original founders planted trees along the cemetery roads using a single variety throughout. By 1897 there was a total of 4,370 trees and shrubs planted. Generations later, they have come to realize that there are drawbacks with a monoculture. They now mix different combinations of species and ages of trees to reduce vulnerability to damage or disease. Lines of sycamores, maples and other majestic trees stand as welcoming sentinels along the roads of Kensico.

There are seasonal considerations when selecting and caring for trees. The big autumn maintenance item is cleaning up fallen leaves. By selecting fine-textured species and avoiding coarser varieties that hold their leaves late into the season, they reduce the cost of leaf removal. To encourage healthy vibrant ground cover in spring, they select trees with an open structure to allow dappled light to reach the grass below.

During the spring growing season the mowing never stops. It takes 7 to 10 days to completely cut the grass throughout the cemetery. Once all the lawns at Kensico have been mowed, it is time to start the cycle again.

There is a conscious plan and process in place when preparing for new tree plantings or replacements. They consider the grade or slope of the ground, soil and wind conditions, mowing issues, availability of native species, appropriateness of scale and the view from every angle.

Kensico is committed to the long view. They watch for declining and damaged trees, then replace them to keep an ongoing and successful succession of trees. Recognizing the contribution and significance of trees to the cemetery setting, money is set aside each year for replacement and renewal to sustain the rural landscape in perpetuity.

The Tower tank supplies a water system of 12 miles of pipes for the watering of plants and shrubs throughout the grounds. Hydrants, fittings and catch basins receive regularly scheduled cleaning, clearing, replacement or repair.

A Work of Art

In the art of landscaping, the idea is to evoke different responses in people, as with a good painting. At Kensico, they apply the design principals and practices of repetition, texture, color and form to capture and frame a scene with tree plantings. Using broad, thick strokes, the feathering of fine lines and the aesthetics of leaf, bark, flower and fruit they can take advantage of the topography to create this artful memorial setting.