Cemetery board schedules April 14 open house, sets rules and hires mower

The Fairfield Cemetery Board voted on logistics for an April 14 open house and clarified how the town will manage grave purchases and cemetery maintenance.

The chair opened the meeting and said the main purpose was to “talk about the open house” and make residents aware of the purchase process. The board settled on Tuesday, April 14, for a 7 p.m. start, with committee members meeting at 6:30 p.m. to set up and test equipment. Committee member S4 volunteered to lead a presentation and demonstrate the online map and purchase workflow to attendees.

Why it matters: The open house will walk residents through who can buy plots and how the application and payment process will work, aiming to prevent confusion and perceived favoritism. The board emphasized a priority order for purchasers: current residents who meet a four-year criterion, then one-time residents, then the general public.

The board discussed outreach and logistics. Members said they will mail notices to local households (S3 referenced "the 57 houses" on an initial mailing list), consider an RSVP to manage room capacity and display the cemetery map on a screen during the meeting. The board agreed to offer both online and paper applications; staff will accept checks or credit-card payments but noted card transactions may incur a fee. The board instructed staff to hold payments until an application is approved and a receipt issued, so a buyer does not secure a plot without confirmation.

On eligibility, members requested formal guidance from the town attorney about the statutory definition of "resident" to apply the four-year priority rule. Committee member S4 asked staff to obtain a written attorney statement defining residency so the open house could present a clear standard.

Application conflicts and updates: The board agreed that if multiple people select the same grave the group will resolve conflicts (a coin flip was suggested as a tie-breaker). They emphasized that the online map and an Excel list of available plots must be kept current; staff and volunteers will update availability after purchases.

Maintenance and contractor decisions: Separately, members said volunteer mowing poses liability risks, such as property damage or injury if unqualified volunteers operate equipment. The board decided to contract a local worker identified as Tristan to mow the cemetery four times this summer at a cost of $485 per visit because outside vendors were unwilling to travel that distance. The board said the town retains its own mower for public-works tasks, but cemetery mowing will be performed by the contractor for the season.

Repairs and site work: The board scheduled two sessions with a contractor named Amy to repair large broken headstones on April 7 and May 5 beginning at 6:00 a.m.; Amy will bring tools and guide volunteers so the board can perform follow-up maintenance during summer months.

Other items: Committee member S4 reported outreach to owners of an adjacent Colford parcel about a possible boundary-swap to square lines and create more graves along the fence; owners were open to discussion but not committed. The board also discussed adding gravel at a roadside entrance and leaving cones temporarily to prevent sinking.

Actions and next steps: The board approved the Jan. 6 meeting minutes unanimously and tabled the Feb. 3 minutes for a later meeting; staff will finalize the resident list for the priority sale, secure an attorney opinion on residency, publish the application link on the cemetery page, prepare both online and paper forms for the open house, and notify the prioritized mailing list once ready. The board agreed to meet at the cemetery at 6:00 a.m. on April 7 for headstone work and at the meeting room at 6:30 p.m. on April 14 to prepare for the open house.

"We want residents to understand how it works," the chair said, urging staff to ensure the map and application link are easy to find on the town website. Committee member S4 said he would "do a presentation about what we've done over the years" and walk attendees through the process. Committee member S2 recalled a prior attorney caution about perceived favoritism and asked the board to be careful: "Do you think you remember the lawyer's comment about we was giving ourselves favors," he said.

The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.