Recently, State Senator Christine Cohen welcomed the state’s $24,000 investment in the maintenance and care of local neglected graveyards across the 12th Senate District.
Through the state’s Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program, Guilford, Branford and Middlefield will each receive $8,000 to support maintenance of local cemeteries that may not have received upkeep in recent years.
“Cemeteries are not only a resting place for those who have passed on, but a place where we can return to remember our loved ones,” said State Senator Christine Cohen. “I am grateful for this state partnership in ensuring that these final resting grounds are properly maintained out of respect for both the living and the dead.”
The grants can be used by towns receiving them to support basic maintenance ranging from clearing weeds and bushes to mowing lawns, repairing fences or walls and straightening, repairing and restoring memorial stones.
Senator Cohen proposed and helped pass legislation in 2023 to convene a working group to ensure family members of deceased veterans buried in Connecticut cemeteries. The proposal came after Senator Cohen received reports from constituents regarding the quality and condition of their loved ones’ gravesites at a number of cemeteries across the state. Family members say they have little recourse to see the conditions improved due to limited resources at many cemeteries and limited legal oversight, some volunteers work to clean and clear gravesites themselves. The working group is continuing to meet to address the issue.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Garnet McLaughlin – Garnet.McLaughlin@cga.ct.gov – 860-304-2319