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Residents press Oakland commission to act on deteriorating private cemeteries; commission proposes outreach to owners
Summary
Residents reported deteriorating headstones and overgrowth in privately owned cemeteries on Walker Street and other sites; commissioners said town authority is limited for private cemeteries but proposed drafting a letter to cemetery owners and exploring stewardship for unclaimed plots.
During the public forum on May 13, residents urged the Town of Oakland to address decaying headstones and overgrowth in several local cemeteries, including a small cemetery at the end of Walker Street.
Jill Cox (301 Walker St) described photographic documentation of broken and leaning headstones and said she contacted the persons previously identified as caretakers or committee leaders and received mixed responses. She said a Woodlawn caretaker offered help and that cemetery preservation volunteers have the skills to reset or clean stones without chemicals. Cox said she was told by a contact that the plots and headstones were private property, which created a roadblock to volunteer-led repairs.
Mayor Shane Taylor and other commissioners confirmed that two of the town’s three cemeteries are privately owned; one is town-owned (the historic cemetery) and is inspected by a state official for compliance. Taylor said state agencies regulate cemeteries and that the town cannot force private owners to accept outside work, but the commission suggested drafting a letter asking owners to allow assistance or to consider stewardship of elderly, unclaimed plots.
Residents expressed concern that many older graves may have no living family members to care for them and urged the town to pursue options that preserve historic names and stonework. Commissioners agreed to prepare a draft letter to cemetery owners to be circulated to the commission for review.
What’s next: Staff will draft a letter to cemetery owners requesting cooperation and will provide it to commissioners for approval; the town may also explore voluntary stewardship options and provide contact information for volunteer groups that clean historic stones when allowed by owners.
