The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously at its April 3 meeting to accept a $5,000 state grant for neglected cemeteries that will be applied at least in part to clean up Taunton Cemetery on Taunton Lake Road.

Selectman Maureen Crick Owen noted there are no matching funds from the town required prior to approval. She also said a resident had asked her about cleaning that cemetery up prior to the meeting.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said the grant is something the state makes available annually, and town staff apply for it every year. The town has been shifting the grant money among its cemeteries to underwrite maintenance efforts each year.

“If not for these funds, it’s likely the maintenance would not be addressed anytime soon,” said Rosenthal. “These funds go a long way to help maintain these cemeteries so they don’t fall into disrepair."

Governor Ned Lamont recently announced his administration was awarding the grant to 41 municipalities across Connecticut, including Newtown, for the purposes of providing maintenance to neglected burial grounds and cemeteries.

“Cemeteries are sacred places, and maintaining them is essential out of respect for the dead and preserving our local heritage,” Lamont said. “Particularly here in Connecticut, we have some of the oldest and most historic cemeteries in the nation. These state grants will provide municipalities with financial support to ensure that the deceased are remembered in a respectful manner.”

The grants, which total $5,000 each, are being released under the state’s Neglected Cemetery Account Grant Program, which is administered by the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management.

Established in 2014, the program is funded by revenue collected by the Connecticut Department of Public Health from the issuance of death certificates. Grants can be used by the municipalities to support basic maintenance of cemeteries, including the clearing of weeds, briars, and bushes; mowing of the ground’s lawn areas; repairing the ground’s fences or walls; and straightening, repairing, and restoring memorial stones.

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Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.