Town Raises Two Cemetery Fees

Individuals who plan to someday be buried in one of Lynnfield's cemeteries will now be paying a bit more for the privilege, as part of the town's ongoing review of all of the various fees it charges.

At this week's selectmen's meeting at , a proposal to raise the cost of a single lot from $300 to $350 was presented. In contrast, Wakefield reportedly charges $500 for a single lot, while Peabody is said to charge $750 and Saugus, $1,000.

Fees are also going up for former Lynnfield residents who wish to return to their home town for burial. It was noted at the meeting that some communities do not allow this at all anymore because of space issues. In Lynnfield, it will now cost $1,000 for a former resident to get a cemetery plot, compared to the previous $800 fee.

While selectmen approved two increases for cemetery fees, they declined to back a proposal that would have increased the current $10 cost of a DPW sticker for the yard waste transfer area.

"I am against anything that will in any way discourage recycling," said Arthur Bourque, chairman of the board of selectmen. Bourque also expressed the suspicion that many town residents are continuing to just throw their yard waste away in the trash, based in part on the fairly small number of stickers sold. Selectmen also declined to increase the yard waste fees because at this point they are not a very significant source of revenue for the town.

In Other Business...

In other business at their August meeting, selectmen unanimously approved Ron Small as the new town constable. Small brings 40 years experience as a constable in Peabody. He is also a past commander of the American Legion Post 210 in Saugus.

- Approved contracts with the Lynnfield Police Association and the school custodians and bus drivers union.

-They approved two permits for ice cream vendors.

- Approved the use of the Lynnfield Common area by the Rotary Club for its annual chicken barbecue on Tuesday, September 13.

- Approved the use of the South Fire Station parking lot for a car wash fundraiser by the LHS hockey boosters on Sunday, September 25.

- Separate articles this week on Lynnfield Patch have also noted that Town Administrator William Gustus provided an , and also reported that .