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Volunteers, county staff outline preservation plan after grant awarded for Port Crescent Pioneer Cemetery
Summary
Volunteers and county staff described deferred maintenance, historic headstone conservation needs and a newly awarded preservation grant for Port Crescent Pioneer Cemetery; commissioners asked legal staff to verify compliance with state cemetery statutes and consider formal agreements to support volunteers.
Volunteers who have long cared for Port Crescent Pioneer Cemetery described a patchwork of repairs they say must be completed to protect early pioneer burials and a rare coastal prairie habitat.
Don, a county staff member who led the grant effort, said the county applied at the last moment and was notified that the preservation grant was awarded but that the county has not yet signed contracts for reimbursement. "The grant was due on New Year's…we got it in at the 11th hour," Don said, adding that work already done will not be reimbursed until a contract is executed.
Volunteers outlined immediate needs: replace damaged signage and a flagpole, repair perimeter fencing, hire a stone conservator for fragile headstones, and address a mole infestation that damages grave surfaces. A volunteer board member described long-running local stewardship: family members have maintained plots and carried out cemetery governance for decades, sometimes on their own equipment.
Christina Saint John, identified in the session as a local plant expert, emphasized the site's unusual coastal prairie flora and said regular mowing has preserved native lilies and larkspurs that are rare elsewhere. She warned that losing mowing would let invasive grasses take over and reduce the site's biodiversity.
County staff and legal counsel flagged next steps: confirm that current records and interment practices comply with state law (RCW 68) and the Funeral and Cemetery Board's rules, complete the grant contracting, and draft a clearer maintenance agreement or memorandum of understanding that outlines the roles of county departments and volunteers. County legal counsel said initial research shows the cemetery has met many statutory requirements for assigning and selling plots, but recommended follow-up to ensure burials conform to administrative rules administered by the state board.
Commissioners asked staff to explore options including a formal maintenance agreement, whether a cemetery district would be appropriate, and how to budget for recurring maintenance needs such as mole control and equipment upkeep. The board signaled support for continuing the work session discussion and for placing follow-up items on a future agenda. The conversation did not include a formal vote; staff will return with contract details, legal findings and options for a maintenance MOU or other structure.
