Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Restoration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cemetery commission debates stone‑cleaning practices as restoration work resumes
Summary
Commissioners discussed recent monument restorations and veteran markers and a commissioner warned that repeated D2 cleaning and scrubbing could accelerate 'sugaring' and stone deterioration; staff said conservators decide treatment and some work awaits warmer weather.
At its April 8 meeting, the Nantucket Cemetery Commission reviewed ongoing monument restoration work across several cemeteries and debated how aggressively contractors should clean older headstones.
A commissioner said they were “kind of shocked” to see newly installed white marble stones at Poplar Cemetery and raised a broader conservation concern: “If you do too much of the D2, it also can start to… speed up the whole process of deterioration,” the commissioner said, urging gentler treatment for older stones.
Staff and other members responded that typical conservation practice varies by stone condition. Commissioners said conservators sometimes use a single spray-and-walk-away application of the D2 cleaner and scrub only where needed; they also noted that D2 can continue to act as it weathers after application. Walter and John, named by commissioners as the conservators being trusted to assess treatment, were cited as deciding when stones are too fragile to be restored.
Commissioners also flagged three recently installed white monuments at Poplar Cemetery. Members confirmed the markers met size and flush rules and said white marble is common in older cemeteries and will weather over time. One member noted uncertainty whether the flush stones were VA veteran markers or family-matched stones; staff said that paperwork for marker approval exists but the color had not previously been discussed.
Other restoration items discussed included the Monument Restoration project at New North Cemetery, where contractors are ready but waiting for warmer weather to complete boxing and other field work, and the completed CPR field work at Elm Street for which the commission has not yet received final deliverables. The commission said it will prioritize an electromagnetic survey and report at Newtown to identify possible burials before finalizing restoration plans there.
The commission did not take formal action on cleaning protocols at the meeting; members said they trust the conservators’ judgments and agreed to monitor outcomes as restoration continues.
