Governor Lamont Announces State Grants to Municipalities for Maintenance of Neglected Cemeteries

Press Release

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is awarding state grants to 41 municipalities across Connecticut for the purposes of providing maintenance to neglected burial grounds and cemeteries.

"Cemeteries are sacred places, and maintaining them is essential out of respect for the dead and preserving our local heritage," Governor Lamont said. "Particularly here in Connecticut, we have some of the oldest and most historic cemeteries in the nation. These state grants will provide municipalities with financial support to ensure that the deceased are remembered in a respectful manner."

The grants, which total $5,000 each, are being released under the state's Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management. Established in 2014, this program is funded by revenue collected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health from the issuance of death certificates. 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.

The following municipalities have been selected to receive a grant, contingent upon the successful submission and approval of required contractual documents:

Andover
Berlin
Bethany
Bethlehem
Bolton
Bristol
Canterbury
Chaplin
Columbia
Coventry
Cromwell
Darien
East Haddam
East Hartford
East Lyme
Eastford
Easton
Glastonbury
Granby
Greenwich
Griswold
Guilford
Haddam
Harwinton
Mansfield
Marlborough
Meriden
New Canaan
New London
New Milford
Newington
Newtown
Plymouth
Pomfret
Redding
Ridgefield
Salisbury
Southington
Stafford
Thompson
Tolland

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