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Volunteers say Marshfield Cemetery restoration is halfway done; contractors, grants and tribal outreach next
Summary
Volunteers and partners reported the Marshfield Cemetery restoration is about halfway complete and outlined plans to seek Preserve Oregon and historic cemetery grants for a phase 3 that would finish the most at-risk monuments; the group also described outreach with Siletz tribal relatives and small, low-visibility measures to protect headstones.
Cricket Souls, a local resident involved in the cemetery effort, told the Coos Bay Parks Commission on Nov. 21 that volunteers and contractors are ‘‘about halfway through the project to restore all the ... absolutely have to be restored cemetery monuments.’’
The update described a mix of volunteer work and contractor-led repairs. Souls said contractors will likely return in February or March and that the city’s signature on a formal contract remains a pending formality. The group has partnered with Marshfield, the Oregon Bay Area Beautification group and the American Legion to support monument restoration and recent headstone dedications.
Contracted repairs have not been uniformly durable: Souls recounted one marker that was first repaired with a cement mortar product (Lithomex), broke again, was then repaired with epoxy and has broken a second time. To reduce further damage, the group plans to install a low, historically sympathetic fence reconstructed from salvaged pieces of an older gate, intended to nudge mowers and equipment away from fragile monuments without making the site look new.
Volunteers are pursuing grant funding for the next phase. Souls said the group will pursue a Preserve Oregon grant (which can fund up to $20,000 but for which the group intends to apply at a roughly $10,000 request level), and a historic cemetery grant that typically opens in April. Souls estimated that recent individual monument jobs have been in the neighborhood of $16,000 each, and that a combination of in-kind donations and matching funds could cover the remainder if competitive grants are unsuccessful.
The update also covered outreach to the Siletz Confederated Tribes: Souls said a tribal cultural representative from the Siletz—who has relatives buried in a county-owned plot—plans to work with the project in January and that access to ground-penetrating radar has been discussed as a learning step to better understand burial locations. The group said work will follow the commission’s alteration guidelines so new markers are raised slightly above ground to reduce future damage.
Coco Sutton, who presented related Adopt-a-Park items later in the agenda, and other commissioners praised the volunteer work and discussed making the cemetery a stop on local garden tours to raise awareness and modest funding.
The commission did not take formal action on the report; volunteers will continue grant applications and technical coordination with city staff.
