Board members and residents press for inspections after claims tombstones used as riprap on Project Harmony

Board members raised concerns about Project Harmony — a multi-reach shoreline restoration effort discussed during new business — after reports that contractors used crushed material and, allegedly, tombstones from a Washington, D.C., Black cemetery as riprap along the shoreline.

A board member described the work and said contractors were to crush a debris pile for use in road material and to remove tombstones from the shoreline, replacing them with ground-up material. "These tombstones were came out of Washington, D. C, Black Cemetery there, and they were just thrown on the shore and used for rip rap," said an attendee identified in the transcript as Speaker 2. The board discussed prior site visits and photographic records and asked to be informed as work progressed.

Another board member said a land-disturbance permit for the work was issued recently. Staff asked whether the board preferred photographic updates or on-site visits; members requested on-site inspections where feasible and offered to split visits among members to respect quorum rules. A resident and several members said they had observed tombstones during shoreline walks.

The board did not receive a contractor response during the meeting and did not take a formal enforcement action at this session. The allegation remains unresolved in the record: staff acknowledged the concern and offered to coordinate updates and site visits, but the transcript does not show confirmation, remediation, or contractor rebuttal.

The board asked staff to provide updates (photos or on-site visits) as Project Harmony proceeds and to notify members when a visit can be arranged. The matter may require follow-up with permitting authorities or the project contractor to verify the claim and, if substantiated, determine remediation steps.