Dorchester County burial‑site board seeks members, plans public outreach and mapping work

The Dorchester County Burial Site Preservation Board spent the bulk of its meeting on recruitment, public outreach and how to record burial sites for planning and property‑transfer purposes.

The board said it will solicit letters of intent for open seats and route nominations to the county manager and Dorchester County Council for formal appointment. Kelly (county staff) confirmed that the board may have up to nine members under its bylaws and that, if the board is full, a majority of five would be needed for decisions. Kelly also said the board currently receives no direct funding from Dorchester County and that letters of intent should be submitted via the new county email domain at dorchestermd.gov.

Why it matters: board composition affects the group’s ability to respond to vandalism, to compile a reliable county record of burial locations and to represent the county at public events. Recording previously unreported burial sites into an official county record is the board’s immediate priority, members said.

Board recruitment and appointments

Board members and staff described outreach to several potential appointees at the meeting. Marcus Alvaria, introduced himself as the new director of the Dorchester County Historical Society and said he would consider joining after learning more about the board’s work: “I’m pleased to be here,” Alvaria said. Rod Benjamin, who identified himself as part of the Sandy Island Cemetery…