⦁Hillcrest Cemetery Info and Rules (as of October 2022):
- Hillcrest Cemetery is a historical, nonprofit 501c13 cemetery owned by Clearfield Cemetery Company.
- We are not affiliated with any other cemeteries named Hillcrest Cemetery and we do not own Clearfield Cemetery that's located across the street from us.
- The cemetery is open from dawn until dusk. We understand that you may need to visit before dawn and after dusk but you do so at your own risk of being cited by the police who patrol the cemetery.
- Your travel on cemetery property is at your own risk.
- Office hours are by appointment only. Please call the part-time superintendent at 814-765-4246 and leave a message if there's no answer. His normal work hours are 10am - 3pm mid-April to mid-November. Tenants rent the house and do not have office access and cannot answer questions pertaining to the cemetery.
- Due to financial constraints, our 2 part-time employees which includes the superintendent only work 20 to 30hrs a week from mid-April until mid-November. They only work as-needed from mid-November to mid-April.
- We accept volunteers/community service during the mowing season May through October. Call the part-time Superintendent Josh Rowles at 814-765-4246 for info.
- Our burial schedule is Weekdays & Saturdays 11am to-3pm. If for whatever reason you cannot be at the cemetery by 3pm there will be a $100 late fee. Nothing will be scheduled before 11am. We do not schedule burials on Sunday or these holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day (Last Monday in May), Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
- Perpetual care only covers mowing and reseeding/fertilizing as time allows, weather permits and as long as we are financially able to do so. Anything else is done at our discretion. Trimming around monuments is not the same as mowing and is done at our discretion. Some lots bought before 1980 do not have Perpetual care since you had the option of 'no care' and mowed it themselves, 'annual care' or 'perpetual care'. Lots that do not have Perpetual care must have the Perpetual care paid for before someone may be buried or have a monument installed/fixed. Please ask the Superintendent for more info.
- After a burial, we rely on significant rainfall to settle the grave before we will put topsoil on or use sod. Even after significant rainfall the grave may sink or develop sinkholes and we will take care of those for 1 year after burial. Any sinking after 1 year is your responsibility. After we seed or sod a grave, please try to keep it watered.
- To keep fuel costs down we try to mow once every 10 to 14 days. We only use riding mowers and they will sometimes blow the wet cut grass onto monuments so you may have to sweep the monument off. We are not responsible for cleaning monuments.
- We do not provide or replace military flag holders and flags. Visit your local VA Office or American Legion for these items and replace them yourself. We do not provide or replace D.A.R. or Ladies Aux. flags and holders.
Monuments:
- A standard grave space is 4 feet wide so monuments cannot exceed 4 feet in width if you only own one grave space.
- If any monument or marker becomes unsafe, unsightly, sinks, or in need of repair or resetting, we may attempt to notify the lot owner or next of kin (if known) of such condition and shall request such person to make any needed repairs under the Superintendent's supervision. If the owner does not make the needed repairs, we have the right to remove, replace, or repair any monument or marker at the lot owner's expense.
- The cemetery does not bind itself to provide, maintain, engrave, repair, or replace any headstones, markers or monument structures or anything whatsoever attached thereto or placed upon lots or graves. The cemetery will incur no liability regarding the damage to a monument from forces of nature, falling trees, ground movement, thieves, vandals or stains. Monuments should be covered by your homeowner’s insurance coverage. Cleaning your monuments are your responsibilty.
- Cornerstones must be placed ground level as to not interfere with the mower decks of the riding mowers. Ask the superintendent to make sure they are placed correctly. Over time they will sink down.
- In conjunction with opening and closing of graves, it may be necessary to temporarily move monuments and markers until burial is completed. The grave is usually dug directly in front of or behind the monument so anything you have planted could be dug up with the grave and we will not replace it or reimburse you.
Flowers, Trees and Shrubs:
- Please be aware that graves are either in front of or behind the monument regardless of which way the monument faces. Usually the back or front edge of the monument is the edge of the lot so please ask the Superintendent for help first so he can show you how the lot is laid out. You may not plant anything on someone else's lot without their permission.
- Flowers must be planted directly next to the monument to ensure proper mowing. If you plant them too far out the grass and weeds will grow in between the monument, and weeds and grass will grow around flowers. Perpetual care does not cover trimming, so it is your responsibility to trim them.
- Potted floral arrangements are permitted between April 21 and October 31 and must be removed by November 1. Wreaths and evergreen decorations are allowed November 1st to March 1st. Failure to remove your wreaths in the allotted time will result in us removing them, discarding them, and you will not be compensated.
- Any shrubs you want to plant must be cleared by the superintendent. Failure to do so may result in their removal and disposal, and we will not replace them. We do not allow rose bushes or evergreen shrubs.
- It is your responsibility to remove and discard of any funeral flowers placed on or next to the grave within 24hrs after the burial. You must take them home and discard them. You may not leave them on cemetery property or throw them down over the bank.
- Trees are not allowed to be planted anywhere in the cemetery. Pine blankets/branches are not permitted.
- You must keep your shrubs properly trimmed so they cannot get in the way of our upkeep. Anything that interferes with our ability to mow or dig a grave/urn hole may be trimmed or removed at our discretion and we will not replace them or compensate you.
- Hosta plants and other plants will grow up and block the front of a monument preventing it from being read. You must keep them trimmed so the monument can be read. If they become unsightly then we will trim them down and/or dig them out and you will not be allowed to plant new ones. Because of this problem, hostas are no longer allowed to be planted.
- Take your former flower arrangements home and dispose of them in your own garbage. Anyone caught disposing them over the bank or anywhere on cemetery property will be cited for littering.
- After any storms, you should check your lot to see if any flowers or decorations have blown away, find them and put them back. Otherwise we will dispose of them if they're laying on the ground and you will not be reimbursed. We are not responsible for decorations that are blown away, damaged, removed or moved by others.
Grave Decorations:
- We regulate the use of grave decorations to ensure the efficient maintenance of the cemetery and a safe environment for employees and visitors to the cemetery grounds. Any decorations which violate these rules and regulations or otherwise interfere with the ease of maintenance will be removed without notice. We reserve the right to remove all flowers, wreaths, or other decorations from lots as soon as they become unsightly.
- Due to safety concerns, the difficulty in performing maintenance on the cemetery grounds and to avoid the appearance of clutter, items that are not permitted at any time include but are not limited to the following: artificial flowers, wire/metal stakes or tripods with decorations attached; glass and other breakable containers; ornaments; signs, pennants, banners, toys, balloons, non-military flags and spinners of any type.
- By special request you may be able to install a protective border or curbing no more than eight inches in front or behind (see below) the monument so it doesn't interfere with our mowing equipment, or in vases mounted to the monument. The cemetery is not liable or responsible for damage to the border or curbing or what is planted therein.
- Borders and curbing must be removed prior to digging any new graves. If you do not remove them then it will be dug up and discarded while digging the grave and we will not replace or reimburse.
Various:
- Alcoholic beverage containers are not permitted to be placed at the grave-site and alcoholic beverages are prohibited on cemetery property.
- When cleaning up around your lot, you must dispose of any bags of leaves, weeds or clippings.
- The cemetery does not bind itself to do any special or unusual work.
- Deer, rabbits and other animals may eat your flowers and we will not replace your flowers.
- When visiting the cemetery, please be alert for workers operating equipment on the roads and yield right-of-way to them. Most roads are wide enough to let 2 vehicles pass side by side if they partially go onto the grass. There's usually a 2 foot space between the road and where someone is buried.
- Please try to park your vehicle partially in the grass along the side of the road so people can get around your vehicle. People usually aren't buried close to the road so you won't be on anyone's grave.
- The dirt used to fill in graves is the same that is removed which is mostly rocky clay or all rocks aka 'fill dirt'.
- Pets entering cemetery grounds must be kept on a leash at all times. You may not curb your pet on cemetery property. If you do then you must pick up their feces and take it home with you. If you are caught leaving feces on cemetery property you will be cited and possibly banned.
- Nesting insects on your lot are your responsibility but we will try to remove them by special request.
- No recreational activities are allowed in the cemetery without the permission of the Superintendent.
- No structures of any kind other than grave markers or lot monuments may be placed on lots and single graves.
- If you see visitors in the cemetery being disorderly or disrespectful for a faster response you should call 911, 814-765-1533 for County Control, or 814-765-7819 for the Clearfield Borough Police and report them.
- All recreational vehicles are prohibited from operating on cemetery grounds.
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