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Residents press Portsmouth to repair Oak Grove (Portlock) Cemetery; manager says city has a cemetery plan
Summary
Lindsey Jones and other residents urged the council to address deferred maintenance at Oak Grove (Portlock) Cemetery — sagging 1850s wall, overgrown vegetation, open graves — and proposed a buttress solution; the city manager said a multi-cemetery maintenance plan is already in progress and staff will provide more detail.
Residents at the June 23 Portsmouth City Council meeting urged the city to accelerate repairs and maintenance at Oak Grove (Portlock) Cemetery, a historic burial ground with structural and grounds-maintenance needs.
Lindsey Jones (West Park View) told the council the cemetery "might be closed for future sales of burial plots" and described multiple issues, including a sagging 1850s brick wall, unwanted trees and shrubs between headstones, and open graves. Jones said she met with Parks and Recreation staff to show the discrepancies and provided council a packet that includes an illustration proposing a buttress on the peninsula-avenue side of the wall to avoid interior disturbance.
"By caring for cemeteries, we may be able to entice tourists to the area as those interred there reflect our national character," Jones said, and she noted several notable interments and family visitation by out-of-state relatives. She asked the council to consider bringing the cemetery to "normal standards."
Vice Mayor Moody, Councilwoman Thomas and other council members acknowledged the cemetery's historical importance and asked City Manager Steven Carter for a plan. Carter told the council a "complex plan" is already in place to address deferred maintenance across the city's cemeteries and said staff are starting work on the items raised and can provide more detail to council.
Council members requested a broader overview covering all city-owned cemeteries so council can consider a comprehensive approach rather than treating Oak Grove in isolation. The manager committed to follow-up and additional detail to be provided to the council.
There was no formal funding decision or timeline presented in the meeting record; council members asked staff for a plan and more detailed information.
