A cemetery in Franklin Township is getting into shape.

The high weeds have been cut down inside the Union Hill Cemetery in Franklin Township.

That’s in contrast to several weeks ago, when weeds had overgrown many of the tombstones.

Anthony Frantz, a caretaker at the cemetery, posted earlier this month on Facebook that he was looking to get back involved with the cemetery.

Since then, Frantz said Jay Balliet, owner of All J’s Landscaping & Lawn Care in Walnutport, has donated his time, and been charging the cemetery at a very generous discount rate.

Balliet said Thursday morning that he’s been in business for 25 years.

“And I like to help out a community whenever possible,” Balliet said. “The place was in distress, definitely needed a hand.”

Balliet said it took a crew of eight people one day to complete the work.

“We’re completed,” he said. “We blew off all the stones to make it look like a final cut for the season.”

Frantz said anyone willing to make a contribution may send checks made payable to Union Hill Cemetery, 140 Union Hill Road, Lehighton, PA 18235-2830.

“I just wanted the place to look good for the winter time,” Frantz said. “The best thing anybody can do is donate.”

Frantz said the cemetery’s trash bill has not been paid; its insurance lapsed because it wasn’t paid and the insurance company will not insure them right now.

“There’s a lot of financial hurdles that have to be (addressed) in the winter time,” he said. “Between lawncare, bills past due, and other things, $15,000 is needed.”

He said it costs about $1,200 each time alone to mow the cemetery.

Frantz added that to date, the cemetery has roughly $150 in its checking account.

“Going forward, my goal next year would be to find and start selling off plots,” he said. “Keep it desirable for the neighborhood.”

Frantz said in his post that he would like to “lead the charge to get back involved and transform it from where it is.”

According to the post, “there are bills unpaid, stones that need repair, trees to remove. There is a ton of mowing, there are high weeds.”

The post added there is a pile of dumped concrete and building construction waste that needs to be bulldozed out.

It asks members of the community to partner with the caretaker in this project, and added that a GoFundMe will soon be created for the money end of things.

Brenda Artz, of Franklin Township, said that she recently went to the cemetery to clean some family stones, only to encounter the high weeds.

“I have no words for this,” Artz said. “Perhaps a Scout troop would like to earn a badge helping to mow.”

Artz said that she has five sets of grandparents there, plus their siblings, aunts and uncles.

In all, Artz said she has 62 relatives there, including three generations of grandparents on her mom’s side, two on her dad’s side, and the grandparents siblings and some of their children.

“My grandmother’s headstone sank and was never fixed,” she said. “My dad gave up asking for it to be done.

“My only regret is that my husband and I raised her stone (still not where it should be) after he passed. We should have fixed the stone before he died so he would know it got done.”

The cemetery is always looking for volunteers, and anyone interested may call 484-695-5147, email them at unionhillcemetery1881@yahoo.com.