North Adams Cemetery Commission Advising Fee Hikes

The Cemetery Commission is recommending the city raise grave lot fees $100 and up and perpetual care fees $25 and up.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Cemetery Commission on Tuesday approved recommendations for increased grave lot fees and perpetual care.

Chairman Paul Arabia said the raised fees will create much needed revenue for the cemeteries, which means the city will need less to maintain them.

"What I think needs to be accomplished here in doing this is to recognize the extra revenue for the city in the sale of the lots, but not add an extreme expense to the residents in North Adams," Arabia said. "We need to expedite this because it is going to increase revenue considerably, but not on the backs of the public."

The fees have not been raised in years.

Arabia said that without the increased fees, selling the lots in the new B-3 section would raise $72,240 in revenue. With the new fees, this amount will be closer to $122,000.

For residents, a single grave lot will cost a total of $400. This is a $100 increase in the lot sale and another $25 in perpetual care. A double lot will now cost $850, with a $200 increase in the lot sale and $50 in perpetual care. Four grave lots will be $1,700, up $400 with $100 in perpetual care.

The commission also recommended changes to non-resident lot fees. A single lot will now cost $900, up $300, and a $200 increase in perpetual care. Double lots will be $1,500, up $400 and a $100 increase in perpetual care; four lots will be $3,000, a $900 increase in lot price and $100 in perpetual care.

The commission agreed that the increases were modest. Commissioner Roger Eurbin said the new prices are lower than Adams and Williamstown.

The City Council must pass the new recommended fees before they are implemented.

The commission also discussed better and more appropriate signage for Southview Cemetery. Arabia said he would like the new sign to clearly display the rules and regulations of the cemetery. He added that he would also like to improve funeral route signs and section signs.

"I think we need to make everything uniform and connected," he said. "We need something that is appropriate and classy."

Clear rules and regulations for the cemeteries have always been a murky subject with cemetery visitors. Arabia said people often leave garbage or plant flowers around grave sites.

"What has happened over the years with a lot of the rules and regulations, there was never any implementation," he said. "When we do these rules and regulations, we need to make sure when someone comes in to buy a lot we give them a set of rules so they know."

The commission agreed that trash and things left on cemetery grounds is also an ongoing issue. Eurbin said he has talked to the mayor about possibly placing receptacles on the grounds.

"If they are there, people might use them rather than just leave stuff on the side of the road," Eurbin said.

Arabia said people have just left their trash near the water faucets found throughout the cemetery since he was a kid. He said this needs to stop.

"We have to get away from this 1950s mentality of taking your urn and dumping it in on the ground," he said. "It's 2014. Have a little courtesy, but again we have to get that out to the public."

Brown Street Bridge Reopens in North Adams

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
01:16PM / Monday, December 15, 2025

Mayor Jennifer Macksey is the first to drive across the bridge, closed since early 2023.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Mayor Jennifer Macksey led a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Dec. 15, marking the official reopening of the Brown Street Bridge.

 

"We are very excited despite the cold weather," Macksey said before the ribbon-cutting. "… We are chipping away at these projects, but this is long overdue."

 

The bridge had been closed to all vehicle traffic since March 2023 after being deemed structurally deficient by the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The 26-foot steel structure, built in 1952, was flagged after its superstructure rating fell to 3.

 

The reopening follows a temporary repair project designed to safely restore access while the city and state determine a long-term plan. The temporary repair contract was awarded to J.H. Maxymillian at a cost of $349,920.

 

Funding for the project included $75,000 from state Chapter 90 road funds, with the balance was covered by state flood money the city had been previously awarded following a severe storm in July several years ago.

 

The mayor emphasized the critical need to reopen the span, particularly for public safety. 

 

"The perception behind that was we have flooding on West Main Street and River Street, we have to use this bridge," she said. "We are very excited to have it open. Not only to alleviate traffic problems down at the intersection of Big Y and the intersection of City Hall, but to help our friends at emergency management with the ambulance."