The Mount Vernon Cemetery Commission has a number of projects slated for this spring and summer.

A group of commission members presented at Mount Vernon City Council Monday, May 5.

Mike Woods, American Legion commander, said one of the projects they have been working on this summer is refurbishing and correcting veterans graves. As part of that project, they have discovered there are two veterans of the 1812 war who are buried in the Mount Vernon Cemetery.

“We are submitting paperwork to the Veteran’s Administration to have proper grave markers for those veterans,” Woods said. “We’ll also be putting together a service to dedicate and honor those people with proper military rites.”

Ruth Horton said that there will also be plans to have a grave site restoration holding a one-day workshop at the cemetery in June. The Masonic Lodge and American Legion will also be working on resetting 13 grave stones. Horton recommended people pay attention to announcements for that workshop for opportunities to help out and preserve stones at the cemetery.

Machelle Pelkey said that the commission is also looking to create a portion of the cemetery that will allow for green burials (minimal environmental impact including biodegradable containers). In order to do that, the cemetery will need to conduct a LIDAR survey of the cemetery to make sure there are no unmarked graves in the area of the cemetery this is looking to be installed.

“Because we’ll need to do aerial imaging to do this, we’re looking to either do this quickly this spring or wait until the fall,” Pelkey said.

Mary Evans thanked public works director Eldon Downs for his work in removing trees and shrubs that had outlived their usefulness and were damaging some areas of the cemetery.

Mayor Tom Wieseler commended the work of the commission thus far, and noted it was one of the fastest filling commissions the city has ever had.