Park board sets Greenlawn Cemetery hours, bans camping after late-night incidents

The Park Board unanimously approved posted visiting hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and a prohibition on camping at Greenlawn Cemetery during its Aug. 21 meeting.
Parks staff said the rules were implemented after recent incidents in which people remained at the cemetery late at night and at least one person attempted to stay in an RV overnight, prompting 2 a.m. calls to the parks director and questions from police. "We've had some issues at Greenlawn Cemetery over the past 30 or 45 days," the parks staff member told the board. "The hours are 7AM to 10PM. So if somebody is in the cemetery after 10PM, what that does is it gives the police department authority to get them out."
The parks staff member said the department posted signs stating the hours and the camping restriction and had consulted with the mayor and the police department before taking the step. "We had to also post that there's no camping in Greenlawn Cemetery," the staff member said, adding that repeated violations could lead to trespass enforcement by police.
Board member 1 moved to approve the hours and the no-camping rule; Board member 2 seconded the motion. The board voice-voted the motion "Aye," and the chair announced the motion approved.
The parks staff member said the measures are intended as an initial step to curtail overnight stays and that staff will notify the board if more-extreme measures become necessary. "If something more extreme needs to happen, I'll always bring that back to you," the staff member said.
The board took the action as a formal regulation for cemetery management; staff will maintain the posted hours and coordinate with police on enforcement.