LETTER TO THE EDITOR NOVEMBER 6, 2014
What to do with cemetery land?
T
he town of Danvers is currently debating what to do with the historic Holten Street Cemetery.
If we decide to honor our past by preserving the final resting place of some notable and less illustrious citizens, we only have to look at neighboring communities. Like scores of other communities throughout the Commonwealth, they have made judicious use of the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Georgetown, for example, acquired funds to restore 86 badly deteriorated headstones and monuments in Union Cemetery. Funds were also directed toward legal expenses, management of the cemetery, and the cost of materials to repair the cemetery’s fence. Hamilton received funds to rehabilitate headstones in Hamilton Cemetery ($6,000), improve the cemetery’s fence and landscaping ($7,400), and renovate an historic building on the property ($13,000). CPA funds were also given for restoration of the tabernacle in Asbury Grove ($26,000). In Newburyport, funds supported restoration projects in Highland Cemetery, Oak Hill Cemetery, and Old Hill Burying Ground. The Community Preservation Coalition says that, as of July 2011, 475 gravestones in the Burying Ground had been restored. Since CPA was enacted in 2000, communities have proactively planned for the future while— at the same time—taking bold steps to preserve their heritage. The Community Preservation Coalition sees value in cemeteries and burying grounds. As of 2010, it had designated $4.5 million for their restoration and conservation. I have to wonder, for what cold day is Danvers waiting?