Oakwood Cemetery is more than 150 years old and serves as the final resting place for historic figures of Waukegan, Civil War veterans and a “Potter’s field” of Spanish Flu-epidemic victims.
The 50-acre Sheridan Road site is owned by the municipality, along with Union Cemetery, dating back to 1845.
Neither has a dedicated budget for maintenance.
A series of annual landscaping contracts with conflicting schedules has raised questions about the perpetual care covenant in recent years. The city’s Public Works Department carries responsibility for upkeep at the two cemeteries in its budget, with no line item other than for contractual services.
Oakwood’s grounds were left unattended on Memorial Day and Flag Day this year, as landscaping crews “beautified” downtown Waukegan for the May 30 Gay Pride Parade and Festival and Juneteenth Celebration on June 13. The conflicting schedules resulted from the overlapping of four separate landscaping contracts.
G&S Services of Illinois was awarded $169,174 in landscaping contracts during the May 4 City Council meeting. Mowing at both cemeteries allots $30,550 for 13 cuts over a 26-week period, which conflicts with weekly and bi-weekly contracts for downtown areas, and six-week maintenance periods at ponds and other sites.
“We have the contracts to perform that work,” said Brian Graupman, owner of the landscaping company. “We were given no other directives.”
Chris Garland, the city’s public works director, said, “Oakwood is a biweekly cut, and it just happened … the grass grew, due to weather, or there may be equipment malfunctions. I have control of the landscapers if it needs extra cuts or weed control.”
However, issues with consistent maintenance have been ongoing for several years. Complaints of tall grass, weeds, and dead trees that present safety hazards have only been partly addressed. Woodstock-based Langdon Services, which had a one-year contract in 2024-2025, was using weedcutters to mow grass in the southwest section of Oakwood.
“I was disgusted by the condition of the grounds. We could not believe our eyes when we saw foot-and-a-half-tall weeds and grass covering the graves and markers,” former Lake County Board member Al Westerman said. “Our family has gone every year for over 100 years on Memorial Day.
“I had to pull the weeds away to see my grandparents’ markers to lay flowers on the grave,” he said.
Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkenny agrees that funds should be dedicated to the cemeteries. “There should be money allocated towards the upkeep,” she said. “People paid in perpetuity … perpetual means perpetual.
“I don’t think it’s a priority,” she said. “Running a town of 90,000 people, everyone has priorities. We had to fight to get a new sign and flowers there. It’s an old cemetery that needs TLC.”
A $4,000 stipend is paid to Santiago Aclaide, Oakwood’s sexton. However, there are no dedicated cemetery personnel.
“There is no budget for the Waukegan cemeteries; it comes under the purview of the Public Works Department, which has an expense amount of $11,531,982 for fiscal year 2026-2027,” said Juan Garcia, the city’s director of finance.
Garcia noted that the approved budget also has a revenue surplus of about $608,000.
“Thousands of individuals … are buried at Oakwood Cemetery, and it is the obligation of each succeeding generation to respect and honor those who came before us,” said Diana Dretske, Waukegan historian and author. “Our struggle to prioritize the care of Oakwood is not unique to this decade, or even this century.
“Renewing that commitment of care and reacquainting ourselves with the rich stories of our city’s ancestors will further unite and strengthen our community,” she said.
On June 16, the clerk’s office contacted public works about a downed oak tree from recent storms near the cemetery’s entrance. By Independence Day, its remnants were removed, along with several dead trees that were marked by a red “X” on their trunk more than two years ago. Toppled or moved gravestones remain.
“The dead should have more respect than they’re getting now,” said Diane Hewitt, a Lake County Board member. “It’s neglect. I’ve worked with veterans and groups there. We are supposed to learn from our history, and we’ve learned nothing.”
