Cemetery 2022 Report
Cemetery Committee and Sexton Annual Report for 2022
2022 was an eventful and busy year for the Belgrade cemeteries. The Cemetery Committee along with Hallowell Construction continued working on the development of Plan 5, Pine Grove Cemetery’s newest expansion opening in 2023.At Town Meeting, voters approved a rewrite of the Cemetery Ordinance. The rewrite is posted at townofbelgrade.com/cemetery. I encourage people to review the ordinance and contact me with any questions. I am also available to answer questions about burial arrangements and monument placements.The cemetery crew mowed weekly as well as trimmed numerous overgrown bushes and trees in the cemeteries. The staff also repaired several broken/damaged monuments and will be working on straightening fallen or sunken markers in 2023. As of July 1, 2022 per the implementation of the newly adopted cemetery ordinance, the public is not allowed to plant any kind of tree, shrub, or bush in the town cemeteries. Families who have previously planted vegetation are responsible for the upkeep by removing all dead vegetation, including flowers, and to keep bushes trimmed to a height of no more than 4 feet tall and 3 feet in circumference. Plantings that are not trimmed and maintained will be removed by the sexton.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ken Scheno, Andy Davidson, Wesley Day, Robert Plum Isaac Worster and Brady Belanger of our 2022 cemetery crew for doing a great job keeping Belgrade’s seven cemeteries clean and beautiful places. Thank you to Scott Damren for assisting with cemetery-related tasks and to Bruce and Mary Galouch who were able to provide salt free water to the cemetery. Also, thank you to the many volunteers who worked collectively planting geraniums on graves in preparation for Memorial Day. Hallowell Construction continues to be a fantastic partner, investing a great deal of time and effort not only into digging graves, but especially over the past two years in the constrution of Plan 5. Hallowell Construction performed all the work on Plan 5 as a donation in memory of David Hallowell. A special thanks to Rick Damren, Scott Damren, Bruce Plourd and Robin Clement for their work.
Lastly, I greatly appreciate the involvement of the Cemetery Committee, which advises the sexton, Town Manager and Board of Selectpersons on the cemeteries’ maintenance and operations. Thank you to Committee members chairman Phil Sprague, Michial Heino, Bruce Galouch and Robert Lewis.
Respectfully submitted,
Cory Alexander, Sexton