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Tamworth Select Board reviews cemetery maintenance contract and roof/wall repair options
Summary
Select Board members and cemetery trustees discussed a proposed maintenance contract increase, possible masonry face replacement for a damaged crypt wall and trustee funding sources; trustees indicated work on a three-year contract and use of trust funds rather than a warrant article.
Select Board members reviewed the Tamworth cemetery budget and maintenance plans during the boardmeeting on Oct. 7, 2025, with cemetery trustees in attendance.
The trustees told the board they are at the end of a three-year maintenance contract and expect the contractor to seek a price increase. Trustees proposed raising the maintenance line from $30,008.80 to $35,000 to cover the anticipated rise in costs and said they will put the cemetery maintenance work out to bid for a new multi-year contract.
Trustees said any expenditure to repair a crypt or masonry work would come from the trusteesof trust funds account for cemetery maintenance and improvements, not from a town warrant article, so there would be no direct tax effect. Board members recalled a special line item that had been proposed in a prior year but removed before the budget hearing after cemetery trustees changed the plan.
Members also discussed deterioration of a cemetery wall and a proposal by John Roberts (identified in the meeting) to put a faux-stone face on the wall as a lower-cost option. Trustees said they had not yet received a firm price for that work.
The board and trustees addressed small recurring items including flags placed at veteransgrave sites. Trustees said the flags for graves are maintained by the cemetery contractor, while the townpatriotic purposes line in the recreation budget covers small flags placed at the veterans memorial; trustees said the memorial grounds are maintained by the cemetery contractor. Trustees also noted that volunteer groups, such as the Boy Scouts, have not consistently put out flags in recent years.
Board members asked staff to prepare updated specifications for the maintenance contract to go to public bid and to monitor actuals closely; trustees answered that the current-year actuals had been updated and would be accurate for budget review.
The board did not take a separate formal vote on the cemetery repairs during the meeting; trustees said they expected to use trust-fund resources if and when a repair contract is executed.
