Hopefully the Kudzu vines, grass, trash and assorted debris cluttering the Watkins Street Cemetery will soon be a thing of the past.

Natchez aldermen voted Tuesday to allow city work crews to help clean up the historic cemetery. The cemetery has been in trouble for months. Residents who live near the cemetery have been asking for help for some time.

Neighbor Margaret Matthews said the area is &uot;a disaster.&uot;

She’s correct.

The cemetery’s problem had grown beyond belief, and the city was forced to declare the situation a public nuisance in order to work on the privately owned cemetery.

Public Works Director Richard Burke estimates city workers and inmate labor will need about three weeks to completely clean the cemetery.

In addition to the emergency cleanup, the aldermen approved placing concrete barriers at the back entrance of the cemetery to help prevent people from driving through the area to dump trash. The street which runs through the cemetery will also be repaired.

While the city’s efforts are good and more than needed, the key to keeping the cemetery from becoming such a problem again will be in the work of volunteers.

Since the cemetery is on private property, the city cannot legally continue to pay for the upkeep of the cemetery.

Such work on private property must be done through the good will and hard work of our residents.

We know those who care about the cemetery – namely the family members and neighbors – can work together to form a team of volunteers to keep the cemetery beautiful.