Fence Solution
September 24, 2011
First Batch of Deer Shields Installed at Williamsville Cemetery.
Williamsville, NY – Just four months after announcing a major fundraising effort to add protective deer shields to the historic fence at Williamsville Cemetery, enough money has been raised to fabricate 717 shields, which were installed on the fence on Saturday, September 24. The public was invited to attend and assist with the installation of the shields, which were attached to the fence stanchions on the Glen Avenue Extension side of the cemetery.
“It is important to note and heartwarming to state that the people in this community of Williamsville still maintain that sense of “neighborhood” that ultimately helped to build this community and this nation; “neighborhood” means people looking out for each other and helping each other,” says Joseph Dispenza, President of Williamsville Cemetery. “We are grateful today to the people of Williamsville and the people from far-flung neighborhoods in Texas, California, Michigan, Georgia and Canada who generously gave contributions of money and today will give of their time to help protect this community’s history at Williamsville Cemetery and its wildlife.”
In May, the Williamsville Historic Preservation Commission approved – by unanimous vote – the deer safety shield solution, clearing the way for the parties involved to move forward with the project. A fundraising campaign was instituted whereby donations could be made via the Williamsville Cemetery website or at any of M&T Bank’s 52 branches serving the Buffalo Niagara Region. The black, powder-coated C-shaped tempered steel shields, which cost $10 each to fabricate, were designed by International Chimney Corporation, a Williamsville-based company specializing in historic preservation, with the assistance of Capital Steel Works, a Buffalo-based company that is manufacturing the shields locally.
There are approximately 5,200 stanchions along the fence and gates at Williamsville Cemetery, and donations are still being accepted for the fabrication of the remaining shields needed. Tax-deductible donations can be made to the Protect The Deer Fund of the Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation online at www.williamsvillecemetery.com or at any of the 52 M&T Bank branches serving the Buffalo Niagara Region.
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The Deer Shield Fund
We need your help to protect the deer in Williamsville Cemetery.
Our innovative deer safety shields, which are black, powder-coated C-shaped tempered steel brackets that can be placed over every one of the Cemetery's stanchions and locked into place, will protect the deer and yet be virtually invisible from outside the cemetery. This solution can be reversed when the deer problem in the village abates, thereby keeping the historic aspects of the fence intact.
The cost to manufacture each deer safety shield – which has the endorsement of the SPCA Serving Erie County and was unanimously approved by the Williamsville Historic Preservation Commission – is $10.
For each tax-deductible $10 donation you make to the Deer Shield Fund of The Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation (a 501c3 organization) Capital Steel of Buffalo, NY can manufacture one shield. The more you donate, the sooner we can protect the deer! Corporate sponsorships welcome.
Thank you for your support of this very important and worthwhile cause. To donate, simply click the "Donate" button below. Donations can also be made at any of M&T Bank's 52 branches serving the Buffalo NIagara Region.
