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Resident Tom Barakas urges selectmen to address neglected private cemetery and consult trust expert
Summary
At the meeting, resident Tom Barakas described maintenance lapses at a private perpetual-care cemetery trust set up in the 1940s, said the fund had been reported as depleted, and proposed contributing personal funds or hiring contractors; trustees urged the cemetery trustees to consult Terry Knowles for guidance under RSA requirements.
Tom Barakas, a Greenland resident, urged the Board of Selectmen to help clarify options for a private family cemetery that he said was set up with perpetual-care funds in the 1940s but has since suffered maintenance lapses.
Barakas recounted that the original bequest was significant at the time and that the trust covered maintenance for years before stopping about a decade ago. "Perpetual doesn't mean perpetual," he said, describing his surprise after contacting state authorities about how perpetual-care trusts are interpreted. He proposed contributing roughly $8,000 to underwrite immediate stone- and chain-repair work or hiring a contractor to restore the site so the town would not have to manage daily upkeep.
Trustees and staff advised that the cemetery trustees follow RSA requirements and suggested hiring Terry Knowles, a charitable trust specialist who previously worked with the library to straighten out trust-fund directives. Staff recommended the cemetery trustees take Barakas's proposal to Knowles to determine legal and procedural next steps. The board explained that cemetery trustees would likely need to assemble documentation, potentially prepare a warrant article for town meeting if they sought town funds for land acquisition or major changes, and follow public-hearing processes where required.
Why it matters: the exchange highlights how long-standing charitable trusts and changing administrative practices can leave historic burial sites without reliable upkeep and raises questions about trustee responsibilities and the limits of town authority over private cemetery funds.
The board did not commit town funds but recommended the cemetery trustees consult trust counsel or the identified specialist to clarify options and compliance with RSAs. Barakas said he may underwrite some immediate work if trustees approve or take other action following legal advice.
