Renee LaMark Muir

Chester and Haddam are two of 37 municipalities chosen to receive grant money to address neglected cemeteries. The towns will receive $8,000 for headstone repairs and/or restoration or straightening through the Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program.

Chester- Old Cemetery and Old Burying Ground

Haddam - Ponsett East Cemetery and Burr District

The program is administered by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM). Established in 2014, it is funded from revenue collected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health through the issuance of death certificates. To be eligible for a grant, towns and cities must have applied to OPM.

Grants can be used by 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.