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Canaan trustees postpone sexton decision, discuss mapping and green-burial options
Summary
Trustees deferred creating a separate sexton role and agreed to resolve mapping and deed issues before advising plot purchasers; they also asked staff to explore green/hybrid burial rules and will revisit cemetery regulations at a later meeting.
At its Feb. 9 meeting the Canaan Cemetery Trustees debated whether to create a separate cemetery sexton position but postponed the decision, saying more clarity is needed on duties and whether town approval is required.
Cindy Neily, Trustee of Trust Funds, said that when she previously served as a Cemetery Trustee the trustees prepared job descriptions and handled hiring without daily oversight. Scott Johnston, the Select Board representative, said a new position might not be needed because the town had such an arrangement in earlier years. Trustees agreed to take the matter up at a future meeting rather than decide immediately.
Trustees also raised concerns about the accuracy of plot maps and deed records. Ann Marie Labrie, town clerk, said she has difficulty advising residents on available plots when maps and deed records are incomplete; several deeds are missing. The trustees asked for corrections to the list of cemeteries published in the town report, and agreed that Pollard, Porter and Blaisdell are not under trustees' oversight (Blaisdell lies in Dorchester).
The trustees discussed considering green or organic burials and asked staff to research what the state permits; Lynne Murray said her research found only about 3% of state cemeteries allow green burials. A planned software demonstration was postponed because of weather. The trustees adjourned at 6:32 p.m. and scheduled future meetings to continue unfinished business.
