Wenham Should Pay Bill for Cemetery Preservation

To the Editor:

I read with interest the recent article in the Hamilton Wenham Chronicle regarding the Cemetery Commission’s gravestone preservation project.  It is inconceivable that The Town of Wenham refuses to pay Fannin-Lehner for work that was done.

Michelle Bailley spoke the truth when she said that Bryant Barnard was unaware of the procurement laws.  The fact that he is not here to defend himself, does not give Mark Andrews the right to put words in his mouth. Bryant Barnard did not tell lies.

There was never any doubt that the cost of the restoration would cost $30,000.  As a matter of fact the total restoration cost was to be more than that.  This was discussed when Bryant applied for a grant from the Community Preservation Committee.  He was approved for the part of the cost that would cover the work for the first year of work and was given assurance that a request for additional funds would be looked upon favorably the following year.

In his capacity as Town Administrator, Mark Andrews, knew or should have known of these negotiations. Actually it was public knowledge.  Town Meeting in 2012 voted to approve the appropriation of the amount from the Community Preservation Fund.  It was his job to inform Bryant of the procurement rules. 

The article states that the rules did change last year, but it does not say what that change was. These events all took place before the change.

It appears that the usual complexities of town policy and  procedure were made more complicated by changes last year leaving room for misinformation, miscommunication and mistakes.  That the administrator of the Town did not catch the procurement problem of the town is not the fault of Fannin Lehrner, and they should not suffer the oversight of the town.

Doris Barnard
Rubbly Rd. Wenham