New London To Receive State Grant For Neglected Cemeteries

NEW LONDON, CT — Gov. Ned Lamont recently announced that his administration is awarding state grants to 41 municipalities across Connecticut to maintain neglected burial grounds and cemeteries.

New London is among the municipalities receiving the grant.

“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 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. Established in 2014, this program is funded by revenue collected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health from the issuance of death certificates, according to a statement.

Grants can be used by the municipalities to support basic maintenance of cemeteries, including the clearing of weeds, briars, and bushes; mowing of the ground’s lawn areas; repairing the ground’s fences or walls; and straightening, repairing, and restoring memorial stones.