TOO LITTLE CASH FOR BELEAGUERED CEMETERY TO OPEN.

Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer

GLENDALE -- Attorneys negotiating with the owners of Grand View Memorial Park to extend opening hours at the shuttered cemetery and resume limited operation say they're stymied by a funding shortfall.

Both sides are still talking after Wednesday's settlement conference in Los Angeles Superior Court and have scheduled a hearing for Nov. 15, attorneys involved in case said. But they're up against the clock because Glendale city officials said they can't sustain the once-a-week visiting hours at the cemetery indefinitely.

At issue is whether Zurich, the insurance company defending cemetery owners Marsha Howard and Moshe Goldsman in a civil case, will pay an estimated $5,000 to $15,000 per month to help rehabilitate the 121-year-old cemetery enough to open from Friday through Sunday every week.

The grounds at the 25-acre cemetery at 1341 Glenwood Road have been neglected since the business' operations were frozen in June after state investigators accused Howard of financial wrongdoing and mishandling remains.

Paul Ayers, an attorney representing some of the 100 plaintiffs in the case, said it's in the defense's best interest to pay up. ``It's basically about access and cosmetics,'' he said. ``(If) you make the place look good, (if) you give them access to their loved ones, they don't want money. I don't know how many times we can say to the opposition, `Letting things go like this doesn't serve you. It damages you to keep the cemetery in distress.'''

Judge Anthony Mohr has ordered both sides to agree on a plan to restore limited operations, with attorneys negotiating how to finance extended visiting hours and maintenance. A plan proposed by the plaintiffs would tap into the interest from the cemetery's endowment care fund and negotiate a cremation contract with the county Coroner's Office to help pay the estimated $20,000 to $30,000 per month to operate the property.

The defense would pay a $5,000 shortfall, Ayers said. Attorneys for Howard and Goldsman did not return calls seeking comment, but Mary Der-Parseghian, another plaintiffs' attorney, said the opposition was concerned that the estimated gap is closer to $15,000.

``We want to see the gates opened for a couple more days, and we're truly surprised the insurance companies are not stepping up to the plate,'' she said. ``This is only working right now because of the good nature of the city. The city could stop doing it any time.''

Opening the cemetery for four hours once a week has cost the city about $24,400 over the past six weeks. About $16,000 was spent on cleanup and staffing the first week, and about $1,600 per weekend thereafter.

Assistant City Attorney Mike Grant said the city won't be able to maintain the current opening hours if neglect of the grounds becomes a hazard.

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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