Item:
Title
Authorize the County Manager to sign and submit a Letter to the Friends of Geer Cemetery to use in their application for National Historic Marker signage at the Historic Geer Cemetery, and that will authorize the Friends of Geer Cemetery to cooperate with William G. Pomeroy Foundation to install the signage if the application and funding are approved.
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Date of BOCC Meeting: January 13, 2025
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board is requested to authorize the County Manager to sign a letter stating that the County has authority over the Geer Cemetery as an abandoned cemetery under NCGS §65-113 and authorizing the Friends of Geer Cemetery to apply for the grant and to install signage if the application is approved.
This authorization from Durham County as the entity authorized to oversee abandoned cemeteries, such as the Geer Cemetery, per G.S. §65-113, is one of the requirements of a grant application to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s National Register Signage Grant Program (Attachment 3).
The Friends of Geer Cemetery, a local non-profit corporation, is applying for this grant since the Geer Cemetery is now on the National Register of Historic Places (Attachment 4). The Geer Cemetery was Durham’s primary African-American burying ground between 1877 and 1927, after the city first began providing a public cemetery for African-Americans. There are more than 1,650 graves in Geer. The Geer Cemetery is an important part of Durham’s history, as it is among the most important artifacts and monuments of the African-American experience in Durham.
Should the grant be awarded to the Friends of Geer Cemetery, they will work with William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the program to craft and install a permanent marker announcing the cemetery’s designation and presence on the National Register of Historic Places.
This request to Durham County by the Friends of Geer Cemetery is only for the limited purpose of helping the Friends of Geer Cemetery make this grant application and carry out the scope of work if the grant funds are received. The County will not be responsible to administer the grant, make improvements in the cemetery, appropriate money, or take on any other responsibility with regard to the cemetery.
Attachments: 1) Proposed letter for approval; 2) Applicable North Carolina Statute; 3) Grant and Program Information; 4) National Register Documentation for Geer Street Cemetery.
Alignment with Strategic Plan: This item aligns with Durham County Strategic Goals: Financial Stewardship, Empowered Community, Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment.
Resource Persons: Claudia Hager, County Manager; Larissa Williamson, County Attorney; Nathan McKinney, Senior Assistant County Attorney
County Manager’s Recommendation: The County Manager recommends that the Board authorize the County Manager to sign and submit a Letter to the Friends of Geer Cemetery to use in their application for National Historic Marker signage at the Historic Geer Cemetery, and that will authorize the Friends of Geer Cemetery to cooperate with William G. Pomeroy Foundation to install the signage if the application and funding are approved.
Signature