CRISFIELD, MD - Eight months after community members in the city of Crisfield rallied around cleaning up a neglected cemetery, a clearer picture of its future maintenance is emerging.
The cemetery, located off Chesapeake and Somerset Ave, was previously maintained by a local group that has since dissolved, leaving upkeep to fall by the wayside.
"The dead, you're supposed to have some kind of dignity when they're buried in a cemetery and have people just stop doing it was just gut-wrenching,” David Barone said.
Many of Barone’s relatives are laid to rest here, dating back to the 1700s. His infant son, David “Gunner” William Barone, is also buried there.
"He is a twin and it's hard at five years old to explain that,” Barone said of Gunner’s surviving brother. “We bring him here all the time."
Community members donated time, resources and money to improve the graveyard. The Mayor and City Council formed a board to devise a long-term maintenance plan for the cemetery.
The Crisfield Lions Club previously accepted donations on behalf of the cemetery. The board is pursuing its own non-profit status, which would enable it to accept donations, host fundraising events and manage those funds.
"We got a lot of stuff in the works, in play to keep this momentum going and keep this nice cemetery with all these great people looking good,” Committee President Tim Howlett said.
The board has also hired the former landscaper to resume cutting the grass. Howlett also told WBOC on Thursday that an agreement with the Somerset Detention Center for an inmate crew to help maintain the grounds is in the works.
The cemetery committee and board meet monthly. The April meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening.