<strong></strong>I agree wholeheartedly with the comments recently published in Lowcountry Broil suggesting some needed improvements to the entrance of Beaufort’s National Cemetery.  While the cemetery is well maintained and offers appropriate and solemn homage to our honored dead, visitors are greeted by a view of the maintenance facility and associated heavy equipment. This seems unnecessary and inappropriate considering the natural beauty of the site and its important purpose. It should be possible to identify a less obtrusive location on the grounds and relocate these maintenance facilities particularly given the recent expansion of the acreage, yet it may ultimately fall to local citizens to bring this concern to the attention of city fathers and the VA.
There are other locales in Beaufort we see every day that could benefit from similar improvements. While other residents may have their own list, I can’t help but think that the city could upgrade the landscaping and maintenance of the three city-owned cemeteries bordering Boundary Street as, in the same vein, the Sixteen Gates cemetery across from K-Mart could benefit from a wall rather than a rusting wire fence to demarcate its property.  Even USCB could enhance its prominent campus location both on Carteret and New streets through more comprehensive landscaping.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however we share common responsibilities to enhance the appearance of the town we love. It’s not so much a matter of money as it is about focusing on where citizens and institutions can make sensible improvements.

<em>Sound Off: Did you get a boot on your car parking downtown or is the traffic light on your street ridiculously slow? Or would you like to thank a stranger for a random act of kindness? Here’s your chance to sound off about what you love and hate. Send your comments to LowcountryBroil@gmail.com and you could see them in our new column called Lowcountry Broil. Don’t worry: They’re all anonymous.</em>