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FReeper Motorcycle Hooligan |
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Posted on 02/25/2003 5:43:54 PM PST by BraveMan
Waukesha - A proposal to convert part of the city cemetery into a campground for Harley-Davidson revelers was buried Monday following a public outcry and the realization that adequate electrical power could not be supplied to campers.
"We can't do it. We can't get electrical power to the 500 or so campers we were hoping to get out there," said Mike Wilson, director of Prairie Home Cemetery, on the city's southwest side.
As news of the proposal spread Monday, City Hall and the cemetery office became the target of irate telephone callers.
"This is a sacred area, and Harley people should not be partying at a cemetery," said Deb Hand, a Waukesha resident whose father, William Hartig, is buried there. "Use the (Waukesha County) Expo Center. Use farm fields. I've got nothing against the Harley people. I'm against any people who want to use the cemetery as a campground."
Mayor Carol Lombardi said her office received a dozen telephone calls and e-mail messages questioning the appropriateness of using Prairie Home as a staging area for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Thousands of Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners are expected to visit Milwaukee to celebrate Harley's 100th anniversary festivities at the end of August. Visitors will be looking for places to stay, creating opportunities for many to turn a fast buck by providing shelter.
"A lot of people were not happy with the idea," Lombardi said of the cemetery campground. "I would say that it's over."
Wilson said that he received fewer telephone calls and that one was a complaint that tent campers were not being considered.
The Cemetery Commission last week gave Wilson permission to explore the possibility of opening an unused, 10-acre section of Prairie Home to recreational vehicles and travel trailers with self-contained toilet facilities.
Wilson said the cemetery would not provide portable toilets but would furnish water.
The campers would have been segregated from the grave sites and given their own entrance and exit from the campground to keep them off cemetery roads, Wilson said.
The hope was to attract 500 motor homes to the south end of the cemetery. At $350 a site, Wilson was hoping to raise money for future capital projects.
Cemetery Commission Chairwoman Susan Hughes said the proposal wasn't close to being finalized.
"The thing is is that it was a discussion to check it out," Hughes said.
Hughes said the campground would not have been near the graves. Instead, it would have been closer to the industries that border the southern portion of Prairie Home, she said.
Use the (Waukesha County) Expo Center. Use farm fields. I've got nothing against the Harley people. I'm against any people who want to use the cemetery as a campground.
- Deb Hand, of Waukesha, whose father is buried at Prairie Home Cemetery
I know it's the 100th anniversary of Harley-Davidson, and surely there should be a huge bash. But not at a cemetary sheesh...
Related article:
A resting place for bikers (Harley riders may camp in cemetery for 100th anniversary)
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FReeper Motorcycle Hooligan |
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I'm for dual-use cemeteries, as long as agricultural concerns stay away. That would be gross.
Just curious if there was any religious dedication of the entire site, or if the camping area would be where they've already sold future burial sites. There also might be a noise problem; not everyone who visits a grave wants to be serenaded with hard metal rock 'n roll.
One thing is becoming acutely clear; the scammers are out to make a Big Buck on this whole 100th Anniversary deal. People are renting their houses at the princely sum of $2000.00 a week, and they're getting it!
I've got nothing against the Harley people.
The Harley People. Gets my vote for weirdest name given to a stereotype . . .
Yea, those Harley People will park their six-figure RVs in a cemetery . . .
FWIW, Freepers needing a place to pitch their tents can do so in my yard, for FREE! Screw the leeches out to make a buck. Got a firepit and a cord of wood ready. You can use the garage as needed. Heck, I'll let you pee indoors!
Sorry, all you six-figure RV drivin' Harley People, I've already promised the lone spot available in my driveway to someone else . . .
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