Foundation to oversee historic section of Silver City Cemetery

After some unintentional damage done last year to the historic markers and artifacts by some juvenile offenders assigned to do cleanup work, Lyon County officials are giving up responsibility for the historic section of the Silver City Cemetery.

Lyon County Commissioners on Thursday approved an agreement that transfers responsibility for maintaining the historic section of the cemetery to the Comstock Cemetery Foundation, which managers the cemeteries in Virginia City and Gold Hill.

The county continues to own the cemetery and will still maintain the section of it that is still in use and available for future graves, according to Lyon County Manager Dennis Stark.

"It boils down to more local oversight, more local input and more management," he said.

Stark said he went before both the Silver City town board and the Comstock Cemetery Foundation board and obtained their approval of the move.

Commissioner Bob Milz said the plan gives management to responsible party who knows what is historic and what isn't.

County Cemetery Manager Dan Williss said volunteers from the cemetery foundation will clear weeds and stack them, and the county will assist with removing them and any trash collected.

"It's still a three-way partnership," Stark said, adding that it involved the county, town board and foundation.

The Comstock Cemetery Foundation, a nonprofit, is qualified to seek state and federal funding to restore the cemetery, as it has done in Virginia City and Gold Hill. Government entities such as counties do not qualify for historic preservation funding.

Candace Wheeler, president of the Comstock Cemetery Foundation has said that a member of the Silver City community will be invited to take a seat on the foundation's board of directors.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-7351.