NEWRY — Selectmen met Tuesday evening to discuss plans to improve the Bear River Road cemetery, make the transfer station more environmentally friendly and address resident concerns.
The board agreed to waive the fee to rent the Grange Hall for the Fall Craft Festival on Oct. 29. Last year, the festival raised $336, which went to a camp scholarship fund for local residents.
The transfer station will potentially include composting in the coming year. The cost would be $67 a tote.
“Not a whole lot of money,” Selectman Jim Largess said.
Another perk of the program would be less weight in mainstream solid waste.
The final decision must be made by Bethel, and will be addressed during its meeting in September.
The cemetery will undergo some cosmetic upgrades, including granite posts and a wrought-iron fence to surround it. The project will total $9,054.
There was some debate on the parking situation at the cemetery. Selectmen discussed excavating the property along the edge of the road to make parking safer and more accessible. Excavations include installing a catch basin and manhole cover, and laying down gravel with a top coat of reclaimed asphalt, which would cost a total of $3,500.
Some residents, however, cautioned selectmen that excavating may diminish the rustic, country feel of the resting place.
“The issue, as we see it, is trying to balance parking considerations and safety with the natural look of the cemetery as we know and like it,” said Bob Hamill, who attended the meeting with his wife, Susan.
The board took their points into consideration, and decided to ask local engineer Joe Aloisio to make a plan that not only preserves the cemetery as it is, but also provides safe and practical parking.
The selectmen took the recommendations of assessing agent Bob Gingress and voted to deny three requested abatements.
The properties are 1 Back Country Drive, 26 Blizzard Drive, and 58 Douglass Road.
Deputy Clerk Kelly Scott said the property values were fair.
Residents who requested the abatements will have 60 days to appeal to the Oxford County Commission.
emeisner@sunmediagroup.net
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