By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — A last-minute addition to the Fall Town Meeting warrant seeks to expand Willow Cemetery.
The Select Board voted to reopen and add an additional article to the Fall Town Meeting warrant during an Oct. 5 emergency meeting held on Zoom teleconference. Fall Town Meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 16, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium. A quorum of 175 voters is needed for the meeting to proceed
Article 12 will ask Fall Town Meeting to appropriate funds from the Sale of Real Estate Account to purchase a property located at 1005 Summer St., which abuts Willow Cemetery.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said local officials were informed that the property went on the market on Monday, Oct. 2. He said the town is looking to buy the property in order to expand Willow Cemetery.
“An issue that we have struggled with in Lynnfield is we are losing cemetery space at a very rapid rate,” said Dolan. “It came to our attention on Oct. 2 that the house next to Willow Cemetery is for sale. We have worked very hard to analyze that property, and we feel very strongly that we could add another 10 to 15 years to our inventory if we purchase this property.”
Dolan said the town currently has “10 years left of cemetery space.”
“That is based upon the current inventory and the number of graves that we sell per year,” said Dolan. “The purchase of this home would ensure that Lynnfield residents can be buried in the town.”
Dolan said town officials have engaged in discussions with the Realtor selling the 1005 Summer St. property. The property is located near a wetland that serves as a tributary to Hawkes Brook, which serves as a water supply for the city of Lynn.
“We are doing our due diligence in terms of any regulations that we need to follow because there is a water source in the back,” said Dolan. “We have done a design review so we know where we can lay the graves. I feel confident that if we buy this property, a major problem facing the town can be solved immediately.”
While the property’s purchase price has yet to be agreed to, Dolan said buying the 1005 Summer St. property will not negatively impact the town’s fiscal year 2024 operating budget or require a debt exclusion vote.
“We have the Sale of Real Estate Account,” said Dolan. “Over the years, Lynnfield has sold property and has built up this account. It’s one-time dollars that doesn’t affect the operating budget in any way. We have plenty of money in that account to do several things. It will have no affect on our budget, operations or any town departments.”
Dolan recommended that the 1005 Summer St. land purchase be added to the Fall Town Meeting warrant.
“We will continue to do our due diligence,” said Dolan. “Hopefully if everything works out, it will pass at Town Meeting. I just want to be clear that this came upon us without any knowledge whatsoever. I feel we have to be flexible to take this opportunity to address a very serious town problem, which is no space to bury our people.”
Select Board Chairman Joe Connell recalled that the Strategic Planning Committee, which he chaired, identified a lack of cemetery space as a critical issue facing the town that needs to be addressed.
“This is a unique opportunity to acquire this land,” said Connell.
Select Board member Phil Crawford concurred with Connell’s viewpoint.
“We should jump on this because buying properties right next to our existing cemeteries is the best way to expand our inventory,” said Crawford. “I am fully in favor of this.”
After the discussion, the Select Board voted to add the 1005 Summer St. purchase to the Fall Town Meeting warrant. The Select Board also voted to close the warrant.
The Select Board and Finance Committee will both be making recommendations on Article 12 during each board’s respective meeting before Fall Town Meeting.