a 1995 CBJ study<\/a>, the City Cemetery was founded in 1899 and there were about 275 burials there. Only 52 markers have been located, according to the study, but there are numerous depressions in the ground and the study said that if the area were maintained there could be more markers found.<\/p>\nMary Kay Pusich, a Douglas resident and member of the Douglas Advisory Committee, spoke at an Aug. 7 Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) meeting about the historic importance of the cemeteries. She said she’s talked with people who want to know where their ancestors are buried, but who can’t find them because the cemeteries are in what she called “terrible disarray.”<\/p>\n
“These cemeteries need to be mowed,” Pusich said. “We need to find these people buried there that created the community that island now exists for.”<\/p>\n
City officials are open to the idea of taking this responsibility on, appreciating the cultural significance of the cemeteries. Both Schaaf and Patterson said the department doesn’t currently have the staff to take care of the cemeteries, especially with such a daunting task ahead of them to clear the land off.<\/p>\n
The estimated up-front cost to clear the cemeteries is $10,000, according to Schaaf’s memo. In addition to that, Schaaf requested that the city fund an additional staff member for the department to help ease the workload. Schaaf said in the PRAC meeting that this employee would be seasonal, working from about April to September. Funding this position, Schaaf estimated, would cost just shy of $26,000 per year.<\/p>\n
Though it’s just one position, Patterson said, it “would make all the difference” to have someone dedicated to mowing, weeding and trimming those properties regularly. He said there are 33 properties throughout town, such as harbors and parks, that the department regularly mows. Adding the task of maintaining the cemeteries without adding staffing, he said, would overextend the employees.<\/p>\n
Mayor Ken Koelsch expressed concern about taking over properties when the ownership of them is unknown. He said he doesn’t want to start clearing off the property and then have someone come forward with paperwork that shows that the land belongs to them.<\/p>\n
Koelsch said he wanted to make sure that the Assembly members got the word out that they were looking into taking over the cemeteries. The Assembly members are still in the early stages of looking at this issue, and it has not been officially set for public hearing yet.<\/p>\n
Patterson said that as Evergreen Cemetery has gotten more and more accessible over the years, people have come from around the world to visit the graves of ancestors. He hopes that improving the Douglas cemeteries will allow people to do the same.<\/p>\n
He mentioned two Norwegian men recently who stopped by an ancestor’s grave and pledged to mail Patterson a Norwegian flag to place on the grave.<\/p>\n
“It never ceases to amaze me,” Patterson said.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or amccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.<\/b><\/p>\n
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