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Residents ask Bath council to take long-term stewardship of historic cemetery
Summary
Volunteer stewards told the council they completed grant-funded restoration work at the Old English/Greenway cemetery and asked the town to assume ongoing maintenance after volunteers’ limited capacity. Council members said public works and finance will review options.
Residents who have been maintaining the Old English/Greenway cemetery urged the Town of Bath to accept long-term stewardship during public comment. A resident who led the effort said the group received “over $10,000 because of the grant money from the town” and has spent “about $9,000,” leaving roughly $1,000 in the account, and that volunteers can only provide a short transition period.
Presenter and volunteer records were distributed showing grave plots and markers identified by an Eagle Scout project; a presenter explained the map and said it lists local family names such as Hunter, Kearns and Buzzard. The primary maintenance challenge is access: the resident reported April rains washed out a parking area and said Dennis Schafer plans to install a 15-inch, 10-foot drain pipe to restore mower access. The volunteers asked the council to consider installing a sign, a bench and a stable walkway to make the site safely walkable.
Council and committee members thanked the volunteers and acknowledged the town’s responsibility, saying public works will discuss options for a transition. “You’re done. And it is town property,” a committee member paraphrased in summarizing the request. Officials said they will explore low-cost measures (signage, limited plantings, and scheduled mowing) and longer-term funding during finance and public works meetings.
