Cemetery commission flags $24,400 in masonry and tree repairs; suggests perpetual care fund use
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The Lakeville Cemetery Commission reported damage to stone walls at Pond and Strawberry (Strowbridge/Strawberry) cemeteries — estimates total about $14,600 for Strowbridge and $9,800 for Pond — and recommended using the cemetery perpetual care trust to cover additional repair costs beyond the commission's budget balance.
At the April 10 meeting, the Lakeville Cemetery Commission described two masonry and site-repair needs that will exceed the commission’s current operating balance and proposed tapping the cemetery perpetual care trust for additional funds.
Cemetery commissioner representatives told the board that an uninsured vehicle damaged a retaining stone wall at Pond Cemetery in early 2024; the commission approved an estimate of $9,800 to repair roughly 100 feet of wall that, according to the presentation, also requires replacement of stolen stone and resetting of displaced stones. The commission said the wall functions as a retaining structure and the repair is more complex than simple stone resetting.
Separately, the commission reported that work at Strowbridge (referred to in the meeting as Strawberry/Strrowbridge) Cemetery — which opened for burials in 2024 and sold 17 graves last year — will require removing trees and roots and masonry repair on sections of north and south walls. The commission approved an estimate of about $14,600 for that project and expects work to begin later in 2025 because masonry crews forecast several months of lead time.
Cemetery officials said the current cemetery commission operating balance was roughly $12,569.50 as of April 10, 2025, and that once obligations for the Pond Cemetery repairs are paid, the available balance would not cover the Strowbridge project. The commission recommended funding the additional work from the cemetery perpetual care trust; commissioners said the trust holds in excess of $58,000 but that staff must determine whether funds are expendable principal or limited to interest before spending.
Board members requested additional information about the trust accounts, including which are expendable versus nonexpendable and current yields; the town administrator and town accountant said they would research trust restrictions and returns and return with a listing of cemetery- and donation-related trust funds.
Why it matters: The projects affect historic cemetery infrastructure and town maintenance responsibilities. Commissioners asked for transparency on trust balances and for staff to determine whether principal or interest can be used to address urgent repairs.