Evergreen Cemetery owner Matthew Jones on Monday was sentenced to 10 days in jail for repeated violations of the city’s property maintenance ordinances at the westside property.
Chatham County Recorder’s Court Chief Judge Tammy Stokes ordered Jones, 55, taken directly to jail and set a new hearing for June 25 in the case.
“This issue’s going to have to get resolved,” Stokes told Jones, noting that it dates back to at least 2007. “I asked you to come back with a plan and I’m not hearing it.”
Jones was in court for the second time in a week to allow Stokes to determine his responsibilities and liabilities at the ACL Boulevard property.
“There’s a problem in Evergreen,” Stokes said. “You own it.”
City property maintenance supervisor Michael Chaney told Assistant City Attorney Lester Johnson III his recommendation was for Jones to cut kudzu from the southeast corner of the property and to clear and maintain at least nine roadways through the property as a starting point.
“If we’re going to make progress, I want to talk about it in stages,” Stokes said.
Johnson also wants the city’s cemetery officials to have input on corrective actions.
Chaney said one problem was to determine exactly where the some 500 grave sites were on the property, adding it would take about two years to make that determination.
“There are a lot of graves out there,” he told Stokes.
Jones, who is representing himself, told Stokes that since his last court appearance last week, he had visited the cemetery and done some preliminary cutting and removal of debris.
He asked for “30 days allowance if possible ... to get things in order.”
He also conceded having discussions to sell the property.
“I intend to do everything feasible to be in compliance with this endeavor,” Jones said.
The property has periodically been the focus of complaints by a group calling themselves the Friends and Families of Evergreen Cemetery who have held cleanup days there.
Because the cemetery is not a perpetual-care site, owners of individual plots are responsible for their upkeep. But Jones is responsible for the common areas.