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Gwinnett approves burial disturbance permit for graves at Grayson quarry; contractor to relocate sites to memorial garden
Summary
The Board approved a burial disturbance permit allowing relocation of approximately 25 graves from the Valcom Materials (now Vulcan) Grayson Quarry site to East Shadowland Memory Garden after archaeological survey, geophysical work, descendant outreach and public notice processes required by state law.
The Board of Commissioners approved a burial disturbance permit May 20 to permit the relocation of approximately 25 graves from the Mac Alveni (Grayson) Cemetery on the Valcom/Vulcan Grayson Quarry property to the East Shadowland Memory Garden in Lawrenceville.
Planning staff said the applicant followed Georgia’s statutory process for abandoned cemeteries and burial grounds, including contracting an archaeological consultant (New South Associates), conducting geophysical surveys and probing, identifying and attempting to notify descendants, and completing the public notice and review steps required by state law. Planning staff reported the county’s consultant reviewed the application for completeness and confirmed statutory steps had been followed.
Vulcan Materials representatives said the graves are located near an active quarry high wall, about 50 feet from active operations, and that relocating them would allow the company to maintain a 300‑foot buffer and preserve decades of aggregate reserves while enabling safer access and better long‑term care of the graves. Archaeologist Steve Webb (R.S. Webb & Associates), who conducted on‑site work and contracted GPR services, explained that ground‑penetrating radar (GPR) identifies subsurface anomalies but cannot by itself confirm whether an anomaly is a grave; the relocation plan includes careful excavation to document in‑ground evidence and locate any outlying burials during the mitigation process.
Staff and the applicants confirmed that if additional remains are found outside the Area of Interest (AOI) during mitigation, the mitigation plan requires those findings to be documented and processed, descendants notified and given opportunity to participate, consistent with state law. The board voted to approve the permit after staff and the consultant said the statutory requirements had been met.
Ending: With board approval, the applicant will proceed under the mitigation plan; relocation work will include archaeological oversight, documentation, descendant notification efforts and county review as required by Georgia law.
