The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

March 18, 2010

DOH to relocate cemeteries for expressway

By Courtney D. Clark Register-Herald Reporter

— West Virginia Division of Highways officials will begin relocating cemeteries next week to make room for the next phase of the Coalfields Expressway.

DOH Cemetery Coordinator Ivan Kapp says weather permitting, the cemetery relocation project is scheduled to start Monday.

“We expect it to take between two or three weeks, but if the rain sets in, it could go longer,” Kapp said Thursday.

He says crews will transfer remains from the existing site to one designated by the court or selected by the family, in order to complete the four-lane highway from Sophia to Mullens.

According to the coordinator, the DOH selected a contractor who is required to have a licensed funeral director on site at all times.

In this case, Kapp says, the contractor is Chafin Funeral Home out of Delbarton.

“Every cemetery is a little different,” he added, “but we have a process we always go through.”

“We make sure all remains and parts of the casket are moved to the new site, and we always search the area to be certain nothing is left behind,” said Kapp.

“That’s one thing they can be sure of. No bodies will be missed.”

In addition, the DOH plans to build a new site called Allen Creek Cemetery for families wishing to stay in the area.

Kapp said the location is near the Raleigh-Wyoming line.

“It’s back in the woods in no man’s land, about 6 miles from Wyco,” he continued.

“We prefer the site not to be too well known because it is a closed site that’s only open to family.”

As of Thursday, the coordinator said all families had been contacted and they were waiting for the blessing of the court to move on.

— E-mail: cclark@registerherald.com

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