Residents urge commission to preserve 6-foot privacy fence at Mount Pleasant Cemetery

At the July 16 meeting of the cemetery commission (transcript labels the body "Houch Cemetery Commission"), nearby residents urged commissioners not to replace a 6-foot stockade fence at Mount Pleasant Cemetery with a 2-foot rail, saying the taller fence has provided longstanding privacy for abutting backyards.

A resident who said they have lived near the cemetery since 1963 told the commission they were told by someone working for a fence company that "they were gonna put in a 2 foot rail fence" to replace an existing 6-foot fence. The resident said neighbors and people grieving at the cemetery oppose that change and proposed either repairing the existing fence or phasing a like-for-like replacement over several years to spread the cost.

The resident cited a statutory claim and told the commission "the town cannot unilaterally dismantle that structure that dictates legal property lines without formal administrative hearing involving all affected landowners," and asked the commission to notify abutters and explore alternatives, including residents contracting repair work themselves.

Commission staff and the chair said no contract has been awarded and no construction has been scheduled. The chair summarized the commission's position: "No bid has been rewarded. No work has been scheduled. The commission is currently discussing the project to gather information before making any final decision." Staff also said a survey performed around 2010–2011 established the property line and that replacing a fence on the surveyed line would not change the boundary. The commission characterized its legal reading of MGL c.86 §2 differently from the resident: staff stated that, in their interpretation, a fence is not a "structure" that automatically triggers a separate administrative hearing under that chapter.

Budget constraints were central to the discussion. Staff reported the cemetery revolving account holds a little over $21,000 and noted an estimate for a full stockade replacement near $50,000 — creating a shortfall the town could not absorb without additional funding. Commissioners described ongoing patch repairs by the Department of Public Works as a stopgap and said they sought quotes to determine what could be salvaged and what required replacement.

Commissioners and the resident discussed technical options. The resident and some commissioners said panels appear salvageable and that the primary failure is in shorter, poorly set posts; replacing or properly installing posts would likely extend the life of the panels. The commission said it would require an assessment by a qualified contractor to determine salvageability and that procurement would aim for quality installation if work proceeds.

No formal decision was made at the meeting. The chair committed to further consultation, counsel review of the legal questions raised, and notifying abutters before any construction or contract award. The resident said they would consider a petition and town-meeting approach but hoped litigation could be avoided.

Next procedural steps: the commission will gather more information, consult counsel on the statutory question, perform an assessment to identify what is salvageable, and place the item on a future agenda; no construction or procurement actions have been authorized as of July 16.