Obtaining restitution for family members who filed complaints of shoddy maintenance at Lawrence’s Memorial Park Cemetery is only one step in solving the problem.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office negotiated a settlement with the cemetery’s owner, Mike Graham and Associates of Houston, to pay 15 families about $3,000 apiece. “We’re hoping that this will resolve the matter,” said A.G. spokesman Whitney Watson.

Actually, it has seemed from the beginning that family members of people buried at Memorial Park were less concerned about receiving restitution than in ensuring proper maintenance of the cemetery. To truly “resolve the matter,” the cemetery owners will have to mow the grass, maintain grave sites and take other steps to improve the cemetery’s appearance.

Watson noted that continued problems may push the cemetery into receivership, in which case the operation would be turned over to a government entity, such as Lawrence or Douglas County. Although people concerned about the cemetery’s maintenance probably would welcome that action, the city or county might have reservations.

The best scenario would be that the costly settlement announced this week will get the attention of the current owner, who will then fulfill his commitment to maintain the property. If that doesn’t happen, city or county officials should be prepared to work with state officials to resolve this troubling situation.