Current Restoration/Preservation Projects

OCPS has spent three years and over $40,000 doing essential research and planning regarding Oakland. Utilizing the work done by four nationally-known consultants, who performed their work in 2008 and 2009, OCPS has produced a Master Development Plan for the Cemetery. The plan outlines the work to be accomplished, the priorities for the work, and the estimated cost of each project. The plan was updated as the year went along and is now ready for funding and implementation.

Also, last year, the City of Shreveport appointed a committee to look into the needs of the city that could be addressed by a bond issue. Oakland Cemetery was included for an amount of $150,000. This issue was passed by the City Council and the voters in an April bond election.

OCPS was recently invited by Mayor Glover to be a member of the Shreveport Commons Advisory Committee. The goal of this committee is to create a Design/Plan that will rejuvenate the nine-block area that surrounds the Central Fire Station. The planning process, funded by a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, will include a master plan to include space use, public art, programming, retail, and future development for the area.

Oakland Cemetery is an integral part of this area of our city, and OCPS is thrilled to be a part of this effort. We believe that it will be a boon to this portion of our city and the cemetery. We look forward to participating in this exciting project.

Current Projects

• Sprague Street House

  OCPS is now working with the City to gain permission to use the last remaining structure of the Sprague Street Houses, as a visitor center for the cemetery. It will be located in the park across from the Sprague Street entrance to the cemetery.

• OCPS is the Process of Establishing a Geographic Information System for the Entire Cemetery

  Board member and LSU-S professor Dr. Gary Joiner and his students are continuing the process of compiling a Geographic Information System (GIS) of the cemetery. This will eventually allow us to pinpoint each gravesite and provide a database of its occupant and any additional information about the site itself.