A volunteer-led effort is underway to raise funds for Mountain View Cemetery in Saugerties, where supporters say the nonprofit burial ground does not have enough money to cover $15,000 in seasonal landscaping and mowing costs.
Anne Cirulli, a Woodstock resident who launched the Facebook page Friends of Mountain View Cemetery, said she got involved after noticing the cemetery’s deteriorating condition while visiting her parents’ graves.
“It started one day when I went to visit my parents and the grass wasn’t mowed at the cemetery,” Cirulli said. “And then I found out from one of their board members that they have no money so they couldn’t mow the lawn.”
Mountain View Cemetery, at 395 Main St., is the final resting place of 147 veterans, including Revolutionary War soldiers, along with generations of Saugerties residents, according to organizers of the fundraising effort.
Cirulli said the cemetery’s financial challenges stem in part from a decline in new burials, which historically helped pay for maintenance.
In addition to mowing and general upkeep, Cirulli said many headstones, including those of veterans, need repair.
Cirulli, who is not a member of the cemetery board but is volunteering independently with its permission, has begun reaching out to local businesses and organizations for sponsorships. The group is asking supporters to sponsor one mowing for $100, multiple mowings for $250, or become a seasonal sponsor for $500 or more. Organizers hope to secure sponsors by May 1.
Cirulli is also organizing cleanup days at the cemetery on April 25 and 26 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is inviting volunteers to bring rakes, lawn tools and equipment to help clear brush and restore visibility to overgrown graves.
“I’m trying to get a cleanup event going to honor the cemetery,” she said.Those interested in contributing can donate through the Friends of Mountain View Cemetery fundraising campaign.
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.