Commission advances Revolutionary War cemetery kiosk contracting and explores gravestone restoration

The Sudbury Historical Commission reported progress on a new kiosk for the Revolutionary War cemetery and revived discussion of using remaining Community Preservation Committee (CPC) funds for gravestone restoration.

Commission members said they are in the contracting phase for a kiosk: a designer and fabricator are engaged and the commission expects contracting to be resolved and the design phase to start in the coming week. The historical society has compiled a revised stones list and a guide to stone movements; commissioners described the society’s work as thorough and said it will inform kiosk content and layout.

Separately, commissioners noted a remaining balance of approximately $15,000 from an earlier CPC article (originally $172,000) that funded cemetery cleaning and related work; that balance has been insufficient for large-scale work but could be used for targeted restoration. Commissioners recalled a 2022 proposal from Historic Gravestone Services to repair a broken slate marker (the Sarah Rice marker) for roughly $800; the fragment is currently being held at the parsonage. Commissioners discussed pursuing targeted restoration projects and agreed to coordinate with Margie (project lead) and the historical society to scope work and, if appropriate, request approval from CPC or use remaining article funds.

No formal vote was taken at the meeting on gravestone restoration; commissioners asked Margie to return with specifics at a subsequent meeting and noted that limited CPC funds should be used where they will have clear preservation impact.