WILTON – Priscilla Beedy is fed up with trying to keep up with the never-ending maintenance at the East Wilton Cemetery.
So much so, she’s asking that the town take over its care. But, before any of that can happen, selectmen Tuesday night responded with an offer of help in, first trying to find the cemetery’s association members and, second, help in setting up a meeting to discuss the cemetery’s future.
“Expenses have gone up, some stones need to be reset, some stones are broken and need to be fixed, a tool shed was broken into and some things were taken, a tree needs to be taken down, fencing needs to be replaced,” Beedy listed in her plea for help from selectmen.
According to Beedy, the cemetery association has $30,000 invested and has used the approximate $140 a month in interest generated to try and keep up with the maintenance which includes mowing and trimming this time of year. Income in the form of sale of the lots, however, often falls short, as expenses continue to rise.
“I’ve had to dip into the principle to meet expenses,” Beedy said. “I’m barely breaking even.”
Selectman Russell Black, a member of the cemetery association, said he commended Beedy on her efforts but noted that there hasn’t been an association meeting “in what 10 or 12 years,” he asked Beedy.
“We need to have the association meet to generate help. A corporation with just one person running everything may be against state law,” Black said and added he’s been asking the Beedy set up a meeting for years.
“Some of it is my fault,” Beedy said, but “when we did have meetings no one showed up.”
Black said the association needs to find its members and meet to discuss what should happen next – elect officers and solicit help or disband and see if the town would take over the cemetery’s operations.
Selectman Chair Paul Gooch asked Beedy that a membership list be sent to the town office and offered to mail out letters to association members.
In the meantime, Selectman Irv Faunce recommended contacting the East Wilton Neighborhood Association to see if its members would be interested in helping with some of the maintenance. Another idea was the possibility was seeing if some aspect of the cemetery’s upkeep might make for an excellent Eagle Scout project.
“Considerable cost goes into a cemetery,” Black noted.
In other matters, 40-year veteran of the Board of Selectmen, Norman Gould, was thanked and applauded for his service to the town at his last selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night. The Town Report is dedicated to Gould, “in appreciation of his many years of service to the Town of Wilton.” His official date of retirement comes at the annual town meeting on Monday, June 15 when a new selectman will be sworn in. Michael Burke and Tom Saviello are running for the selectman’s seat in an election to be held on Tuesday, June 9.
