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Board discusses cemetery upkeep, Experience Gullah expansion and tracking town‑acquired Gullah properties
Summary
Members urged the CDC to include historic churches and cemeteries in the Experience Gullah app and discussed how the CDC and the town should track and acknowledge properties acquired for preservation. A board member disputed reports of cemetery vandalism, saying older headstones have deteriorated over time.
Board members used multiple examples to argue the CDC should expand Experience Gullah and work proactively to preserve historic neighborhood assets such as churches, cemeteries and commercial buildings.
One board member recounted a recent family case in which legal assistance helped prevent foreclosure, and urged that the Experience Gullah app add church historic stops and cemetery sites so families can trace lineage and history. Addressing concerns circulating online about vandalism, that same member said he had inspected local cemeteries and found deterioration from age — not vandalism — and urged the CDC to consider programs or funding to assist upkeep if cemeteries are showcased on the app.
Members also discussed the different goals of 'conservation' (land bought as permanently undeveloped open space) and 'preservation' (acquiring property to retain historic structures or enable community‑directed economic use). Several members recommended a workshop to develop consistent definitions and to propose procedures so town acquisitions that fall within historic neighborhood boundaries are flagged and acknowledged with interpretive material or signage. The board suggested pursuing advisory funds at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry and coordinating with local nonprofits, grant staff and Lowcountry Legal Volunteers to support cemetery and preservation work.
The board did not adopt a formal policy at the meeting; members asked staff to schedule further workshops and to involve community stakeholders in drafting potential town or CDC recommendations.
