Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City seeks CPC funds to conserve more than 100 gravestones at Park Street and West Farms cemeteries
Summary
The city Public Works Department asked the Community Preservation Committee for up to $98,000 to continue conservation of priority-2 and -3 gravestones at Park Street and West Farms cemeteries, noting more than 100 markers remain and that bids could require alternates and contingencies.
Donna Lascalle, director of public works, presented the city’s cemetery stone preservation proposal to the Community Preservation Committee on March 19, asking support to address priority-2 and -3 gravestones at Park Street and West Farms cemeteries.
Lascalle said the work follows preservation master plans completed in 2016–2017 and earlier projects that addressed priority-1, most-hazardous stones. She said a 2017 assessment classified gravestones into priority 1 (most hazardous), 2 (at risk) and 3 (ongoing deterioration), and that the city now wants to conserve roughly a hundred-plus remaining priority-2 and -3 markers. The proposal includes detailed specifications and maps prepared by a conservator; the total request on the application was $98,000, which includes a contingency because construction estimates have increased since 2020, Lascalle said.
Committee members asked whether cleaning and conservation are distinct tasks, and Lascalle said the priority-2 and -3 list reflects stones with physical damage, not only surface soiling. She said the city could bid the work in alternates—e.g., prioritize priority-2 stones first and defer some priority-3 work—though she prefers bidding the full scope to seek economy of scale. Lascalle said the city typically withdraws about $25,000 annually from the municipal cemetery trust fund for capital cemetery improvements and that the trust fund has ongoing revenue from perpetual-care fees tied to burials.
A committee member noted the application total listed $98,000 but the budget summary showed about $89,000; Lascalle said the difference reflects a built-in contingency to account for the current bid environment. Another member asked for per-stone pricing; Lascalle said bids will likely be lump-sum, and if the lump-sum proves cost-prohibitive the department would consider extracting the worst-condition stones or using alternates. Brian announced he would recuse himself from discussion and voting on this project due to professional involvement.
No vote was taken at the March 19 presentation; the CPC will take public comment on April 2 and begin deliberations later in April.
