Greenwich Receives State Grant For Cemetery Repairs And Maintenance

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich is one of 41 Connecticut municipalities to receive a state grant to help communities to provide "maintenance to neglected burial grounds and cemeteries," Gov. Ned Lamont announced this week.

The grants, which total $5,000 each, are being released under the state’s Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

"Cemeteries are sacred places, and maintaining them is essential out of respect for the dead and preserving our local heritage," Lamont said in a statement. "Particularly here in Connecticut, we have some of the oldest and most historic cemeteries in the nation. These state grants will provide municipalities with financial support to ensure that the deceased are remembered in a respectful manner."

The Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program was established in 2014, and is funded by revenue collected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health from the issuance of death certificates.

Such grants can be used by the municipalities to support basic maintenance of cemeteries, including:

• Clearing of weeds, briars, and bushes
• Mowing of the ground’s lawn areas
• Repairing the ground’s fences or walls
• Straightening, repairing, and restoring memorial stones