Cemetery Commission Discusses Old Burial Hill, Chapel Renovations

At their meeting Tuesday night, Cemetery Commission members discussed an ongoing renovation project at Old Burial Hill Cemetery and praised recent improvements to a chapel at

As they sat down to talk about how best to spruce up local cemeteries before the arrival of summer, commission Chairman Richard F. Coletti offered those in attendance a brief update on how the is progressing.

According to a presentation delivered by Town Planner Becky Curran last month, Old Burial Hill Committee members have used $18,000 in grant funding to hire Building and Conservation Management of Arlington to go through the cemetery stone-by-stone and photograph damaged grave markers that date back to the late 1600s. As they went through the cemetery, Curran said workers created an item-by-item map of the 991 objects that populate the

What the company found, Curran said, was that approximately 20 percent of the cemetery's headstones are in need of repair or some form of preventative maintenance. In order to identify the markers that need the most attention, the graves were broken into sub-groups: 31 are in need of urgent care, 42 were designated as less urgent and 119 need to be maintained to prevent problems in the future.

The total cost of the project is expected to be a little more than $22,000 and Coletti said Curran has made a new request for grant funding but has not yet received an answer back.

"A lot of work has gone into this research and it is long overdue," said commission member Rose A. McCarthy. "The work is being done really professionally."

Once Old Burial Hill Committee members hear back about the grant funding, Superintendent William H. James said a meeting will be scheduled to bring together the various town departments that may be able to lend a helping hand to those organizing the project.

"Eventually there will  be a meeting of the town departments associated with Old Burial Hill, including the Tree Department, Recreation and Parks Department, the  Highway Department, everything," James said.

Old Burial Hill Committee members will meet to schedule dates to meet with the town's Recreation and Parks Commission and Cemetery Commission.

Chapel renovations

Although it wasn't listed as an agenda item Tuesday, commission members made sure to mention how pleased they are with repairs to the Dr. Arland A. Dirlam Chapel at Seaside Cemetery, which was recently re-opened for services.

"We have a new rug in there and I have people coming in to give us a price on drapes and rugs running from the entrance-way into the chapel itself," James said. "As of right now we have stripped all the wood, re-varnished and re-stained it, and it just looks really good in there."

Sharing James' excitement was McCarthy, who said she was amazed at the stunning difference the removal of a mustard yellow shag carpet could make.

"I have to say the chapel is sparkling," McCarthy said. "Dealing with those old yellow rugs was certainly an experience and the new ones look beautiful, it just looks so nice."