Cemetery Commission Meeting: September 15, 2025

Present: Commissioners Lynne Grettum, Greg Miranda, Mike Warren, Melissa Cumming, Paul Constantino and Cemetery Superintendent O’Neill Mazyck

Absent:  None

Attending:  Felicia Kokernak

The meeting was called to order by Chair Grettum at 7:01 P.M.

Review of Meeting Minutes from August 18, 2025:

The meeting minutes from August 18, 2025 were reviewed by members and several changes were made: the stated October meeting date was incorrect and changed to 10/20; a couple of the projects approved for completion in 2025 were omitted from the list – i.e. painting the gate at Woodlawn and investigating cost of flagpole installation in Parker II; and a clarification was made to the discussion of private burial services, noting that this is the Cemetery Commission policy.  The amended minutes were approved by unanimous vote, 5-0.

Superintendent Report:

There were three cremation burials; no lots sold.

The area in front of 1986-section stone wall in Woodlawn Cemetery was repaired, the rocks and stumps were removed, area refilled with loam and reseeded with grass.

The interior of the brick storage building in Woodlawn was cleaned out in preparation for ceiling removal and repair.

Contacted the operator who is planning to perform ground penetrating radar survey; the timeline remains uncertain.  Add North Cemetery to survey list, along with Woodland and South.

A smaller size of cremation vault is available for use where space is a concern; price not determined yet.

A hinge is broken on wooden entrance gate at West Cemetery; repair will await availability of Highway Department assistance.

Received inquiry regarding green burial in Princeton.

2025 Project Update:

Some of the projects planned for the remainder of the year have been completed and the rest remain in progress.

L. Grettum finished updating the records for Parker II in the cemetery database with a complete inventory of known graves.

The repair of the grounds in front of the 1986 section of Woodlawn was a major project, completed with great help from the Highway Department.

Cleaning out the brick building in Woodlawn was the first step in repair project.  Need to arrange testing of the interior ceiling for possible asbestos before removing.  An appropriate water tank has been identified for installation when the building is ready.

M. Cumming to investigate landscaping for South Cemetery.

Accounting of current FY26 funds has not been completed yet.  The amounts should not be significantly different from what is already known.

It was established that the Cemetery Department trust funds are not being managed by the town Trustees of Trust Funds, but under the management of the town Treasurer.  Chair Grettum will inquire about the situation.

Discussion was initiated regarding the budget for FY27 in preparation for year-end planning.  Requests for capital funds are not anticipated.  The only taxpayer funded accounts are Building & Maintenance and Miscellaneous which are administered by the Highway Department.

The Miscellaneous Account has been funded at $3,000 for several years.  Superintendent Mazyck to consider needs for the next fiscal year.

Review Superintendent Mazyck’s work hours and responsibilities to determine whether a request should be made to increase his paid hours, currently set at 10 hours/week.

Review the current maintenance contract to prepare a renewal proposal which will be required in the coming year.  The current 3-year contract with Einstein’s Solutions expires on June 30, 2026.

Green Burial:

The topic of “green burial” has been intermittently discussed in recent years, and the consideration of alternative burial methods is part of the Cemetery Department long range plan.  A town resident recently approached Superintendent Mazyck to inquire about the availability of green burial in Princeton cemeteries.  Chair Grettum placed the topic on the agenda for tonight’s meeting and invited Felicia Kokernak to attend.

Ms. Kokernak explained her interest in green burial, and participated in the discussion which followed.

Green burials are allowed by the state but regulated by the individual towns.  Over 20% of Massachusetts towns allow it but very few in our local area.

The Princeton Cemetery Rules and Regulations do not currently allow for green burials.

The main issue in Princeton is locating suitable area for green burial graves, not with the method itself.

There are some state guideline recommendations regarding areas to be considered for green burials; Chair Grettum will provide a reference to the members.

The only Princeton cemetery that currently has room to consider allotting space for green burials is South Cemetery.

There is a goal to evaluate and potentially modify some unused space in South Cemetery in order to create additional usable lots.  Allocating space for green burials, if possible, should be a consideration in the planning process.

Cemeteries that allow green burial choose between integrating those lots with regular burial lots or keeping them in separate areas.  The integration of lots raises questions about potential maintenance problems that must be studied further given our local conditions.

The items above reflect some of the points that came out in discussion.  Members are in favor of continuing to investigate the possibility of instituting the method in Princeton.

Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours before meeting:

None.

Schedule Next Meeting:

Chair Grettum scheduled the next meeting for Monday October 20, 2025 to start at 7:00 P.M. in the Town Hall Annex – Small Meeting Room and remotely by GoToMeeting.

The following meeting dates were also scheduled, for Monday November 10, 2025 and December 8, at the same time and place.

A motion was made to adjourn, seconded, and passed unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 8:13 P.M.

Submitted by Greg Miranda, Clerk

PCCminutes 9.17.2025