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Residents complain of poor Memorial Day upkeep at Pioneer Cemetery; city and volunteers plan follow-up
Summary
Multiple residents told the commission they found cemetery maintenance inadequate during Memorial Day. City staff and a cemetery committee said funding limits and patchwork perpetual-care arrangements are factors; staff and volunteers plan more cleanups and will place the issue on a future agenda.
Several residents told the Oregon City Commission they were disappointed with maintenance at the Pioneer section of the city cemetery over Memorial Day. Phyllis Varney and Deborah Whitney said grass and debris obscured headstones and that the condition was unacceptable for families visiting graves.
"There was grass everywhere. You couldn't even see the names on the headstones," Phyllis Varney told commissioners.
City staff and commissioners said there had been a large volunteer cleanup effort earlier and that parts of the cemetery operate without city tax support. Public works staff and a cemetery committee meet and coordinate volunteer efforts; Rick said the Pioneer section has little or no perpetual-care funding and is therefore largely self-sustaining from lot sales.
Commissioners and staff encouraged residents to join a scheduled cemetery committee meeting and volunteer cleanups. Staff said the next cemetery meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. on June 13 at the public works office and that another cleanup is planned within months. Charlie said staff will notify interested residents about meeting dates and coordinate volunteer leadership; staff suggested exploring municipal-court volunteer crew opportunities and part-time student leaders for group activities.
No formal budget action was taken at the meeting. Commissioners asked for the cemetery problem to be placed on a future agenda so staff can present options, funding implications and a volunteer plan.
