North Adams Cemetery Commission Raises Burial FeesBy Jack Guerino, iBerkshires Staff
03:38PM / Friday, October 10, 2014 | |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Cemetery Commission has agreed to interment fee increases that will be effective the first of the year.
Most of the fees were raised by $100, however the commission decided to double the price of a removal of body from $250 to $500.
Commissioner Paul Arabia on Tuesday said body removal is a timely process, especially when the casket needs to be dug up from an older part of the cemetery.
"It is a lot of handwork, you have to get a bigger machine to remove it, and put the whole place back together," Arabia said. "Quite frankly, it makes a lot of mess, and it's a lot of time."
The commission raised the opening of adult graves from $250 to $350 and weekend burials from $375 to $475, but only until noon. If it goes past noon, there will be an additional $200 charge.
The commission raised weekday cremation burials from $100 to $200 and weekend cremation interments from $250 to $350. There will be no cremation burials after noon.
The commission raised holiday burials from $500 to $600.
The commission did not touch charges for burials for children age 4 and younger; these fees will remain at $50. However, the commission did decide to raise weekend fees for those burials from $175 to $275.
For winter burials, when the ground is frozen and needs to be thawed, the commission raised the winter heater charges from $100 to $150. Vault charges were raised from $50 a month to $100.
The commission also added an overcapacity charge of $100. This fee will be for more burials in a plot than originally intended, such as adding ashes to an earth burial.
In addition to the new interment fees, the commission went over new signage for Southview Cemetery. The commission favored black lettering on a white background and discusses posting new rules and regulations somewhere on the sign.
These updated rules will be discussed during the next commission meeting.
"It has all gotten out of hand over the past 24 years without a commission, and we have no one to back it up," Arabia said.
The commission felt it was particularly important to make known the dangers of the old grave stones that could topple over and crush people if tampered with.
"If some poor kid is running around and falls down and bangs his head they are history," Arabia said. "Even these big ones, if they are leaning a certain degree and you just touch it, it goes."
Commissioner Donna Morgan said some of the people involved with the creation of the Angel Park with her in Southview asked if it would be beneficial to have a sign on the road directing people to the park. She worried a sign could draw unwanted attention that could lead to vandalism.
Arabia agreed it could lead to a higher chance of vandalism and said there is no need for a sign.
"Anybody who made an indication of wanting to see it knows where it is, and I would just leave it as," he said. "It is working. The trees are all in it, looks nice, it's all cleaned up, the grass is cut, it's beautiful, and people that want to see it will find it."
Commissioner Roger Eurbin said he plans to put two signs up at Hillside Cemetery.
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