In early October, 2011 the Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) and the Howard County Executive requested the adoption of Council Bill 52-2011 which proposed to eliminate the Cemetery Advisory Board.

The Board's function is to foster the protection and preservation of cemeteries and burial grounds and to assist in the review of plans for and providing advice on developments that may impact cemeteries and burial grounds, review evidence of cemeteries discovered during construction and to review and update the cemetery inventory list.

Opinion from Fred Dorsey, PHC President:

DPZ feels it can effectively provide the responsibilities of the Board. DPZ has not held a meeting of this board since 2003. Even though during the appointed term of PHC President Fred Dorsey (from 2003-08), requests for meetings and inventory list update did not happen, nor have they happened since then. The role of the Board is still of value and the Board is needed for the protection and preservation of cemeteries and burial grounds. It would provide a resource to those who are now stewards of a cemetery or burial ground or who would be a steward and to local boy and girl scouts on the correct way to preserve/restore as they look to these locations as projects

With no Historic Preservation Plan in effect and no protection offered cemeteries under the umbrella of the Historic District Commission, this is the wrong time to consider abandoning the Cemetery Preservation Advisory Board.

Subtitle 13. The stated purpose of the Cemetery Preservation Advisory Board is to carry out the purposes of section 16.1300- Cemetery Preservation. The purpose of 16.1300 is to foster preservation of cemeteries and burial grounds in Howard County, not just to identify cemetery sites and protect them from development. As long as development is occurring, cemeteries and burial sites both recent and primitive, will be discovered. Note the unknown burials such as the one discovered at Route 29 and Route 108, as well as the blatant attempt to develop the known cemetery in Turf Valley. The introduction of this legislation highlights exactly why we need a Historic Preservation Plan. Did the County attempt to notify any of the local historic organizations they list on their website to get their input? Did they contact the Coalition to Protect Maryland Burial Sites for their feedback? Did they notify the existing Board, including Fred Dorsey?

Cemeteries have been included on both the Howard County and the 2007 and 2011 State of Maryland Top Endangered Lists. Not because of development threats, but because of neglect, vandalism, and erosion from the rising tides. In the last six years, Preservation Howard County has mentored at least four Eagle Scout projects specific to cemetery preservation and restoration. These abandoned, neglected and overgrown sites were in Oakland Mills, Harpers Choice, Valley Meade, and Dickinson. Every councilmanic district has at least one endangered cemetery. The final resting place of our ancestors deserve our respect and stewardship.

We are happy to report that as a result of PHC's advocacy and that of other concerned citizens, CB 52-2001 was withdrawn at the request of the Administration.