Forest Lawn Cemetery Repairs to Begin on August 23rd

August 3, 2021

Last week the Buzz reported on the dilapidated condition of the mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Laurens and the efforts to force the cemetery owner to make the much-needed repairs.

To recap:

On Monday, July 26th, SC Representative Stewart Jones, spoke with Glen Rinkowski, Area Vice President of Stonemor, who reported that the blueprints for the reconstruction of the mausoleum have been finalized and they plan to start work very soon. Rinkowski said the cost to restore the mausoleum is $818,000 and that they also plan to include some general beautification to the cemetery.

On Tuesday, July 27th, Chuck Bobo, Director of Building Codes for the county, placed a condemned notice on the mausoleum. The structure is clearly not up to code and repairs must be made to bring the structure into compliance with the Laurens County building codes.

The Buzz has learned today (August 3rd) that reconstruction/repairs to the mausoleum will begin on August 23rd. The first stage will consist of removing the roof, removing stucco, and getting down to the cement foundation of the structure, according to a conversation Rep. Jones had with Vice President Glen Rinkowski today.

“I’m pleased to learn that the renovation and repairs to the mausoleum will begin soon,” said Jones. “It’s long past time for this and families of those interred there deserve better.”

The Buzz will continue to monitor the situation and update readers as new information is available