Brentwood accepts donation of more than 3-acre field for potential future cemetery or recreation use

The Brentwood Select Board voted on Sept. 16 to accept a donation of a roughly three-acre, flat parcel from resident Bruce Stevens for town use, with the town covering the transfer and closing costs. The donor and supporters said the site could serve as recreation space or, later, as a town cemetery.

Rob Wolfchuck and Bruce Stevens presented a draft budget for legal, survey and closing costs; the draft included a conservative contingency of about $19,500. Cemetery trustees told the board they had reviewed potential town properties for future burial needs and recommended accepting the Stevens parcel, saying it “by far was the best location” among options they examined.

Select Board members asked staff to check the town’s available balances and to see whether up to $10,000 could be encumbered from this year’s budget for immediate preliminary work; if not, the board agreed to include a modest appropriation in the 2026 budget. The trustees said that once the town owns the parcel, the cemetery trustees would manage future cemetery planning and budgeting for site conversion.

The board approved a motion to accept the donation and to direct the finance manager to review available funds and report back to the board; members said final survey and deed work schedules could proceed after financial review and a short scope-of-work contract was in place.

Cemetery trustees and several residents praised Stevens’ offer. Jim Hasher, chair of the Cemetery Trustees, told the board the parcel was the best candidate for future cemetery use and recommended acceptance and town ownership as the next step.

The board’s vote to accept the parcel was unanimous at the meeting; staff were directed to work with town counsel and the finance manager to complete the legal transfer and to seek a modest allocation for survey and closing costs.