PLAINS TOWNSHIP -- Nancy Albert visited loved ones inside The Good Shepherd Mausoleum in Plains Township, leaving with flower arrangements from her mother's crypt.
Moments later, a Plains Township official put up signs and then chained the door.
Township officials said the place is unsafe because the roof is falling in, there are toxic mold and bugs inside, too.
People are furious.
"Even if it winds up killing me, I'm going to fight to the end. I'm going to do the best I can because I'm going to do it for my mother," said Albert.
Plains Township leaders held a special meeting with members of the Luzerne County Funeral Directors Association, to try to figure out what to do.
The Good Shepherd Cemetery and Mausoleum is privately owned.
County and local officials said they cannot get in touch with the owners, who have several addresses, including one in Wilkes-Barre.
"I did get the address and I went to that home and I went pounding on the door, but nobody answered," said Albert.
Officials said there are about 50 bodies inside the mausoleum. Some families want the place fixed up and their loved ones to stay there, others want the bodies moved elsewhere, though doing that would cost folks thousands of dollars.
"I'm disgusted. My mother is there. She wanted to be buried there. The only perpetual care that place has is when my family does it. My husband, my brother, my brother-in-laws, they cut the entire lawn year after year after year. We've tried to contact them, no response," said Michelle Shaffer of Wilkes-Barre.
"My best friend's mother is buried there and we go up there all the time to clean it. We have noticed it being decayed. We've tried to get people to find out what's going on with it. It's sad," said Donna Perez of Wilkes-Barre.
After the meeting Thursday night, Plains Township officials said the next step is really to get the funding to make this place safe for people to go in and out.
"We'll attempt to try to coordinate with the Funeral Directors Association. We'll talk with our state legislators, and we'll see what we can to do hopefully get this done in a timely fashion," said Plains Township Solicitor Stephen Menn.
Township officials said The Good Shepherd Cemetery and Mausoleum will go up for tax sale in September.
Nancy Albert is considering getting a group of people together to buy it and take care of it.
"I don't think she should be taken out of the grave and have that burden on not just me, but all these other people that maybe don't have the money to spend again, you know what I mean? It's not fair. It's just not fair."
If the mausoleum is condemned, the Luzerne County Funeral Directors Association may get a court order, which would mean families would have to move their loved ones' remains from their resting place in Plains Township.
