COMMENTARY

MILT THOMAS

When is a park more than a play area and an expanse of grass? When is a cemetery the legacy of a community?

There are questions Vero Beach voters will be asking themselves when they go to the polls November 4 or sooner. The ordinance in question will protect the city’s landmark properties from the whims of a three-person majority on City Council. Chief among the properties that would be protected under City Charter is Crestlawn Cemetery. This is only on the ballot because of an effort by two City Councilmen to put it up for sale this past year. The election of one more like-minded candidate could spell the end to one of Vero Beach’s treasured legacies, where many of the pioneer families who made our community what it is today are buried, and it would be lost strictly for the sake of profit.

The Old City Nursery is not a nursery at all; it is the vacant park-like property directly across from Crestlawn Cemetery on Old Dixie Highway and the site of Crestlawn’s future expansion. You can find the background on all the properties listed in this referendum on the internet, but they all share one thing in common – they are symbols of our history and our quality of life.

Alma Lee Loy, who probably represents Vero’s past and present as much as anyone, has this to say about preserving Crestlawn Cemetery:

Our pioneer leaders selected a special place for their cemetery. It was in their vision that citizens would have a place of solitude, a place of hallowed ground, a place like no other for the continued remembrance of the love and dedication by and for the  citizens of Vero Beach and Indian River County. Crestlawn is the legacy of our pioneers. The future of this place should be in the protective custody of Vero’s citizens. Future generations will be the guardians of this legacy.

Here is the ballot issue. We recommend a YES vote to save these landmarks for future generations.

Shall City Charter Section 5.05 be amended as provided in Ordinance 2014-11 to add the following properties to limit their sale, lease, trade or gift, with listed exceptions, correct certain park names, and delete obsolete language:
Crestlawn Cemetery
Old City Nursery
Block Manor Park
Charles Park
Jacoby Park
Alex MacWilliam Boat Basin Park
Piece of Pie Park
Pine Terrace Park
Royal Palm Pointe Park
Van Busch Park
Lake Rose
Leisure Square
Michael Field