Donation improves Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery

Intermountain Catholic

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From left to right: Philip Holland, Oscar León and Carlos Martínez, part of the staff of Mount Calvary Cemetery, are now ready to receive the winter with the new truck donated by the McCarthey family. IC photo/ Laura Vallejo

SALT LAKE CITY – A grant from the McCarthey family has allowed Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery to improve its appearance and also save costs.

With the grant, a four-wheel drive truck with a dump bed was purchased. The 2001 Chevrolet one-ton truck will save more than $800 in snow removal costs and cemetery officials estimate the repair budget will be eliminated for several years.

"We just have had it for the past week," said John Curtice, cemetery director, with a huge smile on his face expressing his excitement about the donation. "It’s extremely generous. What a gift of generosity. We appreciate these donations."

The cemetery has been operated by the Diocese of Salt Lake City since 1897. The cemetery staff removes snow from grounds in the winter and is responsible for snow removal of the driveways and parking area at the bishop’s residence, too. Now, the cemetery staff will be able to work even more efficiently than before thanks to the new truck, said Curtice, adding, "with the ‘V’ style snow plow blade, the operators will reduce plow time by 50 percent."

The truck also features a quick-attach system that allows one operator to install and remove the blade in less than 3 minutes; the old blade would take two workers and over 30 minutes per storm just to install it on the old truck, which was 15 years old.

The suspension on the old truck was shot, Curtice said. "It was full of dust. It was rusted. It was becoming a money pit. For repairs alone we were spending a lot. Just for brakes it was around $700 each time."

The fuel costs have been also reduced with this donation, Curtice estimates that it will be over 30 percent. "Without donations we simply can’t operate," he said.

Philip Holland, Oscar León, Carlos Martínez, Olivia Sagastume and John Curtice together as the Mount Calvary team are now ready to welcome winter because of the new truck.

The grant from the McCarthey family also allowed the cemetery to replace the curbing around the Holy Plat – the circle near the mausoleum where bishops, priests, nuns and deacons who served the diocese are buried.

The curbing "was so deteriorated it was non-existent," Curtice said. Handicapped access was added to the area as the curbing was replaced. The project was completed about two months ago.