This headstone of a World War II veteran is nearly obscured by leaves. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Patrick Sherry
Delray Beach officials are working to make several improvements to the city’s cemetery, but some residents say the city is not doing enough to fix longstanding problems there.
Sam Metott, director of Parks and Recreation, presented the City Commission with recent improvements and upcoming plans for the Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery at their meeting on July 14.
City Manager Terrence Moore scheduled the presentation after complaints about the state of the cemetery — which goes back more than a century and includes the burial locations of many Black and white town pioneers — surfaced at a June commission meeting. Some residents criticized the poor upkeep and some said they were not able to find the graves of family members.
The cemetery has experienced maintenance issues for decades. Officials used to outsource operations for the property, but have since brought them back in-house. Plot purchases used to be handled through the City Clerk’s Office, but continued problems led the city to hire a full-time cemetery manager to oversee the tasks.
“In 2018, the city decided to take a little bit more proactive approach rather than a more managed area, and we brought in a consultant who helped us rewrite some policies and procedures,” Metott said. “But also, in a really big way, we hired a cemetery manager for the first time in the history of the city.”
Since then, officials have contracted with a landscaping company to provide more consistent maintenance and started a respectful cleanup initiative at the cemetery, 901 SW 10th St. They are also planning to construct two new mausoleum buildings that would add more than 2,000 crypts and cremation niches.
Whatever the city’s doing, it’s not enough, said several residents during the public comment period at the July 14 meeting. They were still unhappy with how the city was managing the cemetery. Many complained of struggling to acquire grave spaces for family members and issues working with city staff. “The problem with [the cemetery] is poor planning,” resident Dedrick Straghn said.
In response to residents’ concerns, the commission added a discussion item to its Aug. 18 meeting to consider how to address operational and maintenance issues at the cemetery.
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