ABOVE: The headstone of a World War II veteran is nearly obscured by leaves. BELOW: A worker prepares rebar for the floor of a new mausoleum being built to increase the cemetery’s capacity. Photos by Jerry Lower and Rachel O'Hara/The Coastal Star
By Sephora Charles
Delray Beach city commissioners plan to discuss problems at the city’s cemetery after hearing residents’ complaints about deteriorating conditions there and a lack of upkeep — with one commissioner saying she can’t even determine where her father is buried.
City Manager Terrence Moore said he will provide a comprehensive summary of the issues there during a July 14 commission workshop meeting.
Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery on Southwest 10th Street has reached capacity, and residents are worried about the maintenance of their loved ones’ resting places.
Ann Stacey Wright, a city resident, said during public comments at the commission’s June 9 meeting that she recently visited the cemetery and “was very upset at the condition of the headstone of my family members.”
Grass had grown to nearly cover the tombstones, and damage was visible on the headstones, she said.
Delray Beach resident Ann Stacey Wright tells city commissioners that she is very troubled about the condition of her family’s headstone.
Vice Mayor Angela Burns said during the meeting that other residents discussed the matter with her. After spending some time in the cemetery, she said she is “very, very concerned.”
The lack of plot space is leaving families scrambling to find a cemetery to bury their loved ones, including a young woman who went weeks without being able to bury her mother, Burns said.
“Families are not getting any closure,” she said.
Last year, the city announced plans to expand the historic cemetery with two mausoleum buildings, including more than 2,000 spaces.
Residents are also worried about a tree that may be removed, which they said could affect the surrounding gravesites.
Burns shared feedback about the cemetery’s online database. She said that her father was buried there in 1974, and she does not know exactly where his grave is located. An error appears on the website when she searches for him.
Moore said that there are “record-keeping issues that date back decades.”
Burns suggested holding the workshop to address these problems because the cemetery “is in bad shape.”
Comments