T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Frankie and Blossom, the local geese whose love story went viral last Valentine’s Day, enjoy a frolic around Lake Woodmere at Riverside Cemetery. Cemetery leaders are once again considering different options in hopes of establishing a consistent water supply for the pond.

In 1894, Samuel W. Rubee became Riverside Cemetery’s first superintendent, credited as being the person most responsible for shaping Riverside’s appearance, reputation and legacy in his over half century of service. It was under his leadership that swampland on cemetery property unfit for burials was transformed into Lake Woodmere, but the lake’s water level is an ongoing concern for staff at the cemetery.

“The water level was getting low so we told the water department to turn the water on this week. Last time, it cost over $1,300 to fill some water,” Cemetery General Manager David Shearer said. “I’m guessing we’re down maybe a third of where it should be.”

In the past, water was provided for free in exchange for the cemetery allowing the Marshalltown Water Works land usage for things such as spent lime being discarded on 25-30 acres of land in the back of the property.

“And there just hadn’t been anything like that in practice for several years,” said Marshalltown Water Works General Manager/CEO Shelli Lovell. “We’re not allowed to just give water away — it’s actually against the law — there needs to be some sort of compensation for the water. And since there wasn’t any kind of exchange happening anymore, we needed to start actually charging the rate for the water. When we went through the records and reviewed, there were a couple of nonprofits that we found weren’t being charged for water. We appreciate the cemetery, but it’s not really an option to just give water away. It’s not in the best interest of the other ratepayers.”

The date the cemetery’s billing status changed was effective January 2022. While the City of Marshalltown owns the water works, it is not a city department. A board of trustees governs it.

Shearer has explored other options. He noted that a well couldn’t be drilled.

“The DNR said you can’t do that within 200 feet of a burial site. Well, we got what we figured was about 178 feet away, but then we were too close to the city cemetery sewer,” he said. “Then there are other considerations too since we’re so close to the wellfield for the water works. We had to be really careful that there wasn’t any contamination and those types of things.”

He said an idea was proposed that when the city flushes hydrants, why not load the water and bring it to the cemetery.

“There are problems with that and the city can’t use city property for private enterprise,” he said.

The backup plan is to pump water from the Iowa River. But, Shearer said, the move is a “logistical nightmare” and the cemetery struggled to catch the eye of anyone interested in pursuing the project. That changed recently with some media attention.

“Then all of a sudden, we had a couple of guys that said ‘Hey, I’ll come and look.’ We don’t have any prices yet because they’re going to have to do calculations,” he said. “Jeremy Adkins, who is on our board, has been heading up this endeavor.”

Adkins said three-inch piping would be installed underground leading from Lake Woodmere to the Iowa River. A five to eight horsepower pump would then do the work. That way, the cemetery would no longer have to rely on getting water from the Marshalltown Water Works.

“We’re fighting the same fight with getting water,” he said. “It used to be a bartering system you could say for their years of dumping waste (on cemetery property).”

Shearer estimates 100 to 150 people visit Riverside Cemetery each day, taking in its park-like atmosphere. Lake Woodmere is home to nationally known waterfowl including “love birds” Frankie and Blossom, plus other geese, swans and ducks.

Shearer, a longtime Marshalltown resident and local historian, assumed duties as general manager in April 2023 after Dorie Tammen retired. He said efforts to restore the cemetery following the August 2020 derecho are ongoing, as is paying off the cleanup costs. He pointed out that contrary to popular belief, hundreds of burial plots are still available at Riverside.

April 1 is the cemetery’s spring flower clean up. All grave flowers and décor will be collected and discarded if not removed before that date.

“Easter is March 31. It falls at a bad time for our clean up. We can’t guarantee an Easter arrangement will survive the clean up, so it would be best to hold off a few days for your Easter flowers,” he said.

Perennials and annuals will soon be planted on the grounds and donations of those are being accepted.

“We’ve been trying to increase our flowerbeds and bring it back to the way the cemetery was 100 years ago,” he noted.

Shearer appreciates the public’s interest in Lake Woodmere and its water situation.

“It’s been wonderful the outpouring of people with ideas,” he said.

The cemetery will host an event at 2 p.m. on Memorial Day. Details are still being finalized.

Riverside Cemetery can be reached at 641-753-7891.