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Bow Selectboard directs town manager to draft extended‑hours cemetery waiver after residents press for access
Summary
After residents described hardships visiting graves after posted hours, the Bow Selectboard directed the town manager to consult Primex or town counsel to draft an extended-hours waiver of liability for immediate family members; enforcement moratorium remains in place until policy is adopted.
The Bow Selectboard voted unanimously to direct the town manager to consult with Primex or town counsel to draft a formal extended‑hours waiver of liability for cemetery visitors, a policy aimed at allowing immediate family members to visit gravesites after posted hours without changing the cemetery's official hours.
The motion followed weeks of outreach by selectboard members to affected families. A board member summarized the proposed approach as a written waiver limited to "immediate family" that would address hazards of after-dark visits (uneven terrain, lack of lighting) without broadly reopening cemeteries. "We were envisioning a solution for immediate family to sign a waiver by right," the member said during the discussion.
Residents told the board why the change matters. Lisa Wilson, who circulated an online petition, said she collected 278 signatures in support of allowing family access and argued a requirement to call dispatch would be impractical for people who work long hours: "When I started this petition ... I got 278 signatures," she said, urging practical options such as maps and cameras to reduce police burden. Deborah Smarr described visiting her son's grave at varied hours and said requiring a waiver or preauthorization would make grieving more difficult: "I frequent the cemetery because my son is there ... I just find it unreasonable" to impose strict time limits on mourning.
Board members weighed liability and operational questions, including whether a call to dispatch should be mandatory and how dispatch would notify the officer on duty. Chief Miller described the dispatch process: calls go to county dispatch, which would then contact the on-duty officer; board members discussed options such as keeping a copy of the waiver on the plot record or providing it to the police chief for reference.
The board approved the directive to draft the waiver and asked town staff to return a draft policy and waiver for adoption at a future meeting. The board kept in place a prior suspension of enforcement while the policy is developed.
