The City of Lisbon was encouraged to look at ways to fix the tree borders around the cemetery.
Citizen Faye Alger, who made a donation to the trees around the cemetery in 2002, noted the trees were placed originally as a barrier to keep the cemetery separate and to help soften the view of nearby homes and residences.
The council decided earlier this summer to have some of the trees damaged by deer have limbs removed and clean up some of the foliage at the cemetery. In doing so, Faye said that the city has exposed a number of homes to people visiting at the cemetery.
“The objective of trees at the cemetery was not just to benefit a few, but to benefit all people,” Alger said.
Alger said if the city can invest in work on improving parks, making better ball fields and sports complex for area youth, they should make an effort to investigate improvements to the cemetery as well.
Rawley Alger said he wasn’t expecting the issue to be fixed overnight, but it is something that needs to be done.
“There was a lot on those trees that needed to be cleaned up,” he said. “Is it possible to look into what types of greenery deer don’t like and replace with those types of shrubberies in the cemetery going forward?”
Citizen Jared Boots, who lives near the cemetery, said the trees lining the cemetery were not an issue for many years, but this year deer in the area without access to other food sources destroyed many of the trees, creating an eyesore for residents and visitors.
Council member Nathan Smith said this is an issue the tree board and cemetery board should work together to come up with a solution.
Mayor Doug O’Connor said the council will look into it when setting the budget for the coming fiscal year, as the city’s budget for this year is set.
Faye said members of the Legion Auxiliary would be willing to donate funds if there is a solution that can bring back a beautiful border to the cemetery.