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Parks and cemeteries: city restores spending, seeks staff and mapping for aging burial grounds
Summary
Parks superintendent Tim Carpenter reported restored FY26 funding closer to FY24 levels, ARPA-funded playground projects, strong golf revenues and high cemetery workload; councilors pressed for additional staff and a cemetery mapping solution as Melrose nears capacity.
Parks Superintendent Tim Carpenter told the finance committee on June 17 that the department’s FY26 budget seeks to restore several line items cut in FY25 and that the city’s ARPA allocation will fund multiple playground and park improvements across Brockton.
Carpenter said renovations completed with ARPA funds included the Cosgrove Pool and other park projects, and that the 2024 golf season was the program’s highest grossing on record with roughly $1.746 million in gross revenue and more than 32,000 rounds. He said FY26 funding proposals aim to return supplies and maintenance lines to FY24 levels after deep cuts in FY25.
On cemeteries, Carpenter reported 271 burials so far in the fiscal year and said Melrose, Union and Cohasset remain active. “Cemetery department performed 274–71 burials so far this fiscal year,” he said in his remarks, confirming heavy workload for a small crew. Councilors noted the steady demand: Councilor Rodriguez estimated burial-related revenue and said cemetery staff regularly handle multiple funerals per day and would benefit from additional employees to reduce overtime and increase capacity.
Carpenter said the department is pursuing a cemetery mapping/software solution that typically uses a drone flyover and links GPS-anchored maps to lot records. He also said the department is advancing plans to expand Melrose Cemetery in identified adjacent areas, and that that expansion — once engineered and approved — is intended to extend interment capacity.
Councilors and the mayor stressed the need to maintain new and existing playgrounds after ARPA-funded projects are installed, and councilors asked for creative uses of funds — including veterans’ programs and the perpetual care account — to augment seasonal crews. No budget line items were approved or changed during the meeting; councilors requested follow-up on staffing and on the cemetery mapping and expansion plans.
