Fence separating Gwinnett County church from cemetery frustrates families of loved ones buried there
A new fence at a cemetery in unincorporated Snellville is causing some controversy. Families say it blocks access to graves where generations of loved ones lie buried. The church that bought the property says it had the right to put it up.
The fence now separates Lifepointe United Pentecostal Church from the historic Friendship Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.
"I had somebody contact me online and tell me that they had put up a 6-foot fence, and I was totally shocked, especially when we realized it wasn't on the other side of the drive. It was right up against most of the tombstones and the markers down through here," said Kay Echols.
Echols says her family's history at the cemetery goes back decades.
"My father, my grandparents, my uncle, many of my great-grandparents, many relatives," she said. "I've been told there's up to 80-something relatives from my family buried in this cemetery."
She says the fence has already created problems, including during a funeral.
"The last time they had a funeral here, they had to take down over 15 feet of the fence to get the equipment in here. So I was shocked and very upset about it," Echols said.
Lifepointe United says it purchased the property last fall, which includes the church building, parking lot, and the cemetery, and says the fence does not prevent people from visiting.
"We're not denying anyone access. Otherwise, we wouldn't put the gates in that we put in. And we have room on either end so that people can, you know, see their loved ones," Pastor Michael McCormack said.
Gwinnett County officials say people living in the area contacted code enforcement about the issue in late November. In a statement, the county says the fence was too tall, and a porch was built without a permit, and that the property owner is now working to come into compliance by lowering the fence.
Some residents say those adjustments aren't enough.
"We would like the fence gone, completely taken down. It's never had a fence up on it before in all these many years, and there's never been a problem with it." Hewitt Eccles said.
Echols says her father owned a hardware store where a Walgreens now sits next to the cemetery. She's just hoping her parents can rest easy here, but fears what's going on now might prevent that.