Granby To Receive State Grant For Neglected Cemetery Maintenance

GRANBY, CT — 37 municipalities across Connecticut, including Granby, have been awarded state grants for the purposes of providing maintenance to neglected cemeteries.

The grants, totaling $8,000 each, are being released under the state’s Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management (OPM). Established in 2014, this program 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 submitted an application to OPM.

Grants can be used by the 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.

"Cemeteries are solemn places, and taking care of them is essential to respecting those who have passed and preserving the heritage of our communities,"Gov. Ned Lamont said in a written statement. "Our local cemeteries are the final resting places of veterans, local leaders, and ancestors of current town residents. Maintaining them helps to ensure that the deceased are remembered in a respectful manner."