Cemetery sign at Evergreen destroyed by excavator
The arch at Evergreen Cemetery sustained damage after an excavator struck it on Oct. 24. Courtesy of Sarah Fahnley
Boothbay Region Cemetery District trustees discuss the recent accident and other matters during the monthly meeting. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register
The arch at Evergreen Cemetery sustained damage after an excavator struck it on Oct. 24. Courtesy of Sarah Fahnley
Boothbay Region Cemetery District trustees discuss the recent accident and other matters during the monthly meeting. ISABELLE CURTIS/Boothbay Register
During an Oct. 29 Boothbay Region Cemetery District trustee meeting, President Bernard "Skip" MacPhee recounted a recent accident at Boothbay’s Evergreen Cemetery.
A driver with the New Hampshire-based company Dignified Cemetery Services was towing an excavator on his trailer when the machine struck and severely bent the cemetery’s metal arch while leaving the property on Friday, Oct. 24. The road has been closed for public safety. While the matter is still going through insurance, MacPhee hopes to remove the damage so the road can be reopened soon. The district previously discussed installing height limit signs at the site, and some were ordered before the accident, but have not yet arrived.
In other business, trustees revisited consideration of adding a section to their bylaws that would “disallow spending for recognition of trustees," and whether this should be a rule or codified in the bylaws. Worries were raised about taxpayer funds being used for the purpose.
As previously reported in the Register, the district commissioned a plaque to honor late trustees John “Jolly” Arsenault and Stanley “Swing” Lewis, who both served on the board for decades. The idea was first proposed by former president Kim Pinkham and was funded by a partial donation on behalf of Arsenault and district funds.
Treasurer Patty Minerich further clarified during the meeting that $325 was received in private donations and about $900 was from a charitable trust that Arsenault had left for the district. “The notion that we took taxpayer dollars here, I think, is a little bit misleading, and not intentionally, but we didn't take taxpayer dollars.”
The trustees decided not to vote on adding a rule or bylaw, as they didn’t want to limit future boards, especially if charitable funds were available.
The district is approaching Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor to create a more consistent auditing schedule; the district were last audited 10 years ago. According to Minerich, only about 20-25 checks are issued a year by the district, so it would not be a very involved process for the towns.
