Work started today (Monday, July 27) on the cleanup of tornado damage at the Cedar Grove Cemetery. The Lebanon City Council approved the project at a special called meeting last Thursday.
The project includes the removal of approximately 50 trees, grinding the tree stumps, and removing rootballs. Also, approximately 85 headstones and monuments are to be leveled or set upright on the foundation.
In addition, there are about 90 additional headstones and monuments that need foundation repairs or re-assembling. These repairs are not part of the current contract given the specialized nature of the repairs. In the coming weeks, the City will be receiving additional bids for these repairs.
“We are looking forward to completing this project so that our historic cemetery can be restored in order to honor the memories of those buried there,” said Mayor Bernie Ash. “The budgeting and bidding process for those repairs should be finalized in August or September,” he said.
In order to receive federal funding for the cleanup efforts, the City of Lebanon was required to follow FEMA’s Environmental Planning and Historical Preservation guidelines for ground disturbance and woody debris removal. The budget for the initial phase is $185,000. The majority of the project will be funded by FEMA while a few costs will be taken care of at the local level.
“This cleanup is a priority for our team in order to get the cemetery back to normal operation and to respect those who have family members buried there,” said R.T. Baldwin, City of Lebanon Special Projects Administrator.
The anticipated completion for this project is August 27, 2020. With approval, the City will continue with the additional specialized repairs at a later date.
For more information, please contact R.T. Baldwin by phone at (615) 444-3647 or email at Richard.baldwin@lebanontn.org.