Pittsfield's St. Joseph Cemetery Undergoing $1.2M Repair Project
St. Joseph's Cemetery is the resting place for nearly 40,000.
The St. Joseph Cemetery Commission, in conjunction with the four Catholic parishes in Pittsfield — St. Joseph, St. Mark, St. Charles and Sacred Heart — joined together to launch a capital campaign in mid-2018 to raise $1.2 million to make much-needed repairs at the 160-year-old cemetery.
Through the generosity of Catholic parishioners and friends, and a large gift from the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, a total of $1.218 million has been pledged to date, surpassing the campaign goal.
While the cemetery has been well-maintained and operated, serious water problems have existed especially in the upper section of the cemetery. Flooding occurs in the spring and summer making burials and visits difficult in certain areas. The flooding and icing have also deteriorated a number of the roads and several now need complete reconstruction. Others need repaving. Additional drain lines and regrading are needed to correct these problems. The capital campaign was held to address these drainage and road problems.
With initial funds in hand, the drainage work was put out to bid and AJ Virgilio of Westfield was the low bidder and selected as contractor. The drainage repair work started in the fall in the upper section and is now 95 percent complete. A total of 71 catch basins containing much sediment have been cleaned out and two new catch basins installed; 6 feet of collapsed or broken 12-inch drain pipes replaced; 85 feet of new 12-inch drain lines and 1,630 feet of new 4-inch subsurface drain lines installed. Temporary patching of the affected roadways has been completed. The work performed is expected to eliminate most of the flooding that occurs in the upper section.
The results of the drainage work will be evaluated in the spring after the rains end. Any problem areas will then be corrected. Once the drainage is working properly, road reconstruction work will begin in summer/fall 2020, focusing on the worst roads first. That will be followed by paving the roads that are in fair condition. Road work will continue over the next few years as pledges are paid and additional funds become available.
The total project cost of the drainage work and reconstructing or repaving all the existing paved roads in the cemetery is $1.8 million. The Capital Campaign goal was set at $1.2 million, the amount the feasibility study recommended. Therefore, all roads will not be able to be repaved at this time. The commission will continue to seek out other donations to complete all the work.
The cemetery dates to 1853, when it became apparent that the small graveyard founded seven years before next to St. Joseph's Church on North Street would not be able to accommodate the growing Catholic community. A farm was purchased on Peck's Road for the new cemetery and was expanded twice to now cover 225 acres. The commission is comprised of members of all four Pittsfield Catholic parishes.
"The Cemetery Commission and the four Catholic parishes are extremely pleased with the results of the campaign," said Peter J. Lafayette, chairman of the Capital Campaign and a member of the St. Joseph Cemetery Commission. "The improvements will help ensure the cemetery can serve many future generations."
Msgr Michael Shershanovich, director of the cemetery, thanked the donors for their trust and generosity.
"The cemetery is a sacred space and is very important to area Catholics as is demonstrated by the results of this campaign," he said. "There are generations of families among the 37,000 persons buried there. We thank donors for their trust and generosity."
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