The Clinton County Commissioners approved a brand new Clinton County Cemetery Association Tuesday morning. Commissioner Josh Uitts is the proponent of this ordinance and say it has been at least a year in the making.
“The next steps for that is to actually appoint the members of the Commission which will be five members from the community,” said Uitts. “We’ll get to work. This is going to be a long-term process. We’re talking decades that we’re going to work on some of these pioneer cemeteries that either been neglected or lost.”
Uitts added they are looking forward to working with county trustees in the townships.
Uitts says there are many cemeteries in Clinton County and most of them need done.
“There’s roughly 82 or 83 cemeteries in Clinton County and I would say easily that 50 percent need some help,” said Uitts.
Uitts also said more information will be coming out in the next two or three meetings, including who will be on the five-member board who will make up the committee,
“Obviously, we’re going to tackle some small stuff first,” said Uitts. “I think that is what I think the Commission would want to do. There is one cemetery that is on the list that only has one occupant. That would be an easy one to pick off pretty quick. It will be an interesting process as we move forward.”
Uitts added they do not have any budget to work with in 2024, but the Commissioners did have some extra funds that might be available.
One other interesting item that came out of the meeting is that a member who fought with General George Washington lost his life in the Battle of Valley Forge in 1812. He was buried in one of the cemeteries which has been plowed under. So, there is no marker or burial site to honor his service to the country.