The West Palm Beach City Commission on Aug. 4 approved a consulting services agreement with Community Planning Collaborative LLC and authorized an additional $80,000 in one-time general-fund money to advance the Evergreen Cemetery Preservation and Enhancement Project. The commission voted unanimously to accept the proposal and the funding addition.
The project will inventory grave markers, perform a condition assessment and compile sales and burial records; it also includes extensive community engagement and a database to map burials. "We really appreciate your time this evening to talk about what is a really meaningful and significant project to the city," said Adrienne Burke, project manager with Community Planning Collaborative.
City staff said the total scope of work is roughly $137,709, of which about $58,000 had already been budgeted; the additional $80,000 requested tonight would complete the project funding. Parks and Recreation Director Leah Rockwell described the site as a historic Black cemetery established in 1916 and said the city assumed maintenance after the original association and family caretakers aged. Suzanne Berglund, assistant director of engineering services, said a 2025 subsurface engineering survey that cost about $92,000 identified potential burial locations and informed the need for a comprehensive inventory.
The consultant team described a multi-task approach: Task 1 will review records and do a site visit; Task 2 will form a community steering committee and host public workshops; Terracon archaeologists will create a geodatabase, complete a grave-marker inventory and conduct a condition assessment to prioritize repairs. "We want to make sure that the people who are affiliated and who have loved ones there, are able to meaningfully participate," Burke said, describing plans to compensate local participants and rely on local community leaders, including Dr. Alicia Wynne, for engagement.
Staff estimated the project timeline at roughly 12 to 15 months. The commission approved both resolutions authorizing the contract and the transfer of one-time funding by unanimous vote. The motion to approve carried without recorded opposition.
City staff and the consulting team said potential future recommendations could include a full master plan or an ArcGIS story map; those were noted as outside the current contract scope and would require separate approvals and funding.