New Live Oak Cemetery to open for Mother's Day

New Live Oak Cemetery will be open for Mother’s Day according to Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. Although the cleanup is not complete.

In a statement the mayor said there will be specific times the cemetery will be open and there will be safety personnel on hand to assist the public.

“Starting Friday May 12 and Saturday May 13 from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and Sunday May 14 from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. New Live Oaks Cemetery will be accessible to the public. Clean up work will continue in the cemeteries on Friday and Saturday, but cleanup will cease on Sunday. There will be public safety and cemetery personnel on hand to provide direction and assistance.

The main entrance off Dallas Avenue is the only way in and out of the cemetery. All visitors are required to follow the directed paths only. The rear gate will be used only by cleanup crews. Note also, there will be a SAFETY WARNING sign at the entrance way and some areas may be roped off to provide a warning of a potential hazard.

For safety reasons, we strongly encourage people to observe the warnings and govern yourselves accordingly. All other cemeteries remain open from dawn to dust.”

Councilman Clay Carmichael said the City Council approved the contract for the cleanup of the cemetery at their May 9 meeting. This contract also includes what debris is left on the streets and private property. According to Perkins, “it was decided that the contractor and monitors will be able to start the cleanup process on Monday May 15.”

The mayor added that during the remainder of the cleanup process, public access to New Live Oak Cemetery will continue, however the areas where work is being performed will be restricted.

Mayor Perkins closed his statement with “The cemetery has been the most challenging phase of the cleanup because of the emotional and historic significance of the site. We do expect another visit from the Alabama Historic Commission this week to ensure that we have followed their requirements and up to this point, I feel confident that we are complying. Again, thanks to all who understood the need to ‘go slow’ to get this right.” He also said additional details about street and public property debris cleanup will be forthcoming.