Pine Grove nets $1M grant for expansion plan; Construction already underway at cemetery land off Parkland Ave.

LYNN-A $1 million dollar bond has been appropriated to the Cemetery Commission from the city for the purpose of expanding the Pine Grove Cemetery for approximately 1,500 new plots.Currently, there are about 433 plots available at the cemetery, 377 side-by-side slots, and 61 single plots, while the economical double-depth plots have completely sold out.The commission reportedly requested the funds last September due to the fact that the lack of space available to meet demands would create a decrease in fiscal revenues.Chief Financial Officer Richard Fortucci said the city was recently authorized to go ahead with the bond.?I told the guys to get it done ahead of schedule, under budget and to make us all look good,” he quipped.The targeted area set for expansion is located off of Parkland Avenue and compasses a baseball field-sized section of land owned by the cemetery.Construction is already underway according to Department of Public Works (DPW) Commissioner Jay Fink.?The actual area has been cleared and it?s getting ready for the expansion,” he said.An additional roadway, drainage and grass seed are also part of the plan.Costs for the design and construction total roughly $1 million and will ultimately create over 1,500 double-depth plots, which are expected to be the grave-type of preference for the next 10 years and are considered to be the most cost effective as well.Without the expansion, cemetery officials said the area would only be able to accommodate demands for the next two years.Fink said the loan would be paid off in approximately seven years.The Pine Grove Cemetery operates under the city budget and is administered by the Department of Public Works (DPW).Generating approximately $500,000 per year in revenue, the city utilizes the cemetery funds annually to balance the fiscal budget.The practice has been in effect since the 1990s, which typically leaves less than 10 percent of the cemetery?s annual revenue to be deposited into a perpetual care fund.In the event of future expansions, the cemetery said they would squirrel away funds from the sale of plots over the next 10 years.Rate increases for the plots were established Jan. 1, 2007, which include an additional $100 for residents and $200 for non-residents.