The Town of Concord Cemetery Committee voted Dec. 4 to permit Friends of Sleepy Hollow to use photographs taken at a cemetery dedication in a private donor mailing, while postponing final action on the cemetery master plan until the committee’s Jan. 8 meeting.

Committee presiding member Jeffrey Walton opened the hybrid meeting under a Commonwealth executive order and said all votes would be taken by roll call. Tish reported operational activity, saying, "During the month of November, we have 1 full burial and 7 cremations and 0 lots sold," and noted that lot sales typically slow over winter.

The committee debated a film/photo request from the Friends of Sleepy Hollow to include images from a recent public plaque dedication in a private donor mailing. Tish said the photos were taken at the Oct. 20 dedication and another photo dated May 14, and that Alex Gore had given permission for distribution to the donor list. A member moved to approve the request and another seconded; the motion passed on a roll-call affirmation.

Members spent the bulk of the meeting reviewing redlines to the cemetery master plan. Justine and Aaron had suggested postponing full review because submission materials arrived late; the committee agreed to reconvene the detailed line-by-line discussion in January. Jeffrey Walton said he would circulate an updated draft within two weeks so members could prepare for final edits at the Jan. 8 meeting.

Discussion of substantive edits included clarifying historical language and inventories, updating infrastructure notes, and correcting status language. Jerry Soucy asked that a passage about storm damage be revised to reflect that older gravestones were "displaced and reset," not destroyed. Members also noted that signage work at Old Hill and Main Street burying grounds had been completed and that marker inventories are only fully done for those two sites.

Tish and Doug reported takeaways from the New England Cemetery Association conference, noting national growth in cremation rates and that columbarium options were discussed as both a service and potential revenue source. The committee agreed to add that context to the master plan where appropriate.

The meeting closed after brief conversation about member recruitment and terms; Bridgette Rodriguez introduced herself as a returning member, noting she lives in West Concord and serves as town clerk in Bedford. A motion to adjourn at 4:42 p.m. was made, seconded and approved.

What comes next: the committee will reconvene on Jan. 8 with the updated master-plan draft and a dedicated agenda item on finances and lot-layout updates that were deferred during Aaron’s absence.