Burial Costs Going Up in Clarksburg
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The Selectmen adopted new cemetery regulations on Wednesday night that also included fee increases. Plots will now cost $300 for residents, up from $150, and $400 for former residents, up from $200.
Town Administrator Michael Canales said he had researched burial fees and they "are all over the place. They can range from a couple hundred for a burial to a couple thousand for a burial."
Since town employees may have to spend several hours with equipment at the cemetery for a burial the town needs to bring in enough to cover that, he said.
The new fees are $400 for a grave opening; $200 for cremation burial, and an extra $150 for Saturday or late/overtime burials. Holiday and Sunday burials are an extra $500 and dependent upon staffing; disinterment or removal, $1,000. No personal checks will be accepted.
The board also adopted bans on having pets or playing golf in the cemetery.
The new rules are part of the ongoing update of regulations and permitting in town. While some permitting is required by the state, others such as driveways and construction are left to the towns.
"The cemetery regulations were on one piece a paper," said Canales. "We kept adding on instead of making something comrpehensive."
The board was presented with a working draft of regulations for opening roads — for work on water or sewer lines — that would require a bond or proof of insurance, a fee for the actual cutting, a police detail if needed for detours or an appropriate steel bridge over the hole if not.
When the town plans repaving, residents along the road would have 60 days to do any opening needed; the road can't be opened for five years afterward unless for an emergency condition "or they can prove to us the condition was unforeseen at the time," said Canales. The regulations will likely be voted at the next meeting.
Chairwoman Debra LeFave said she didn't want to overpermit, but thought rules were needed in cases such as construction and driveways.
A public hearing will be scheduled about the recent addition of a utility pole on Horrigan Road. An apparent miscommunication within the utility's departments resulted in the addition of the pole without a proper public hearing and a change in location of the street light.
A representative from National Grid said the pole was part of a replacement project; the span between two poles was too wide, about 250 feet, so that was likely why a new pole was placed in between.
Adding new poles require a public hearing; replacing poles does not. That was not followed in this case and work on the project was stopped until the hearing is held. There are three abuttors affected by the installation, including the National Forest.
"I don't know if there'll be any objections but we have to follow the law," Lefave, who queried why the light had been moved to the new pole. The light could be changed back, she was assured.
Canales said if notification cards provided by National Grid could be mailed to abuttors by July 1, a public hearing could be scheduled for the Selectmen's next meeting on July 9.
- The board also appointed and reappointed a host of board and town offices. However, the town still has a vacant seat on the Historical Commission and needs a Hoosac Water Quality District representative, fence viewer and animal control officer. Anyone interested in serving in those positions should contact Town Hall.
- The police station on the ground floor of Town Hall is getting its finishing touches. Canales said if there was enough grant money left over, the town could buy a table and chairs for the new conference room that had been included in the construction. An open house for the station will be held on Saturday, July 12, from 10 to noon.
- Selectwoman Lily Kuzia reminded residents that state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, will be at the Senior Center at 10 a.m. on Friday for "Coffee and Conservation."
