Peabody — After an initial halt was put on presales for lots at Cedar Grove Cemetery due to there being around 20 remaining spaces, Mayor Ted Bettencourt reassured that presales will be available as Cedar Grove Cemetery nears its planned expansion of over 200 grave sites.
Bettencourt walked through the background of the matter, where he talked about the issue the cemetery faces and how it plans to add more grave sites and columbariums, which is a structure meant to hold ashes.
“The issue is that because the cemetery is reaching full capacity, we only have about 20 grave sites remaining. The Cemetery Department thought it would be best to put a hold on presales in order to make sure we could handle any time of death burials,” Bettencourt said. “I think that was the appropriate response to take because we were almost at full capacity.”
He added that there is a planned expansion that will be taking place over the winter and into spring, which will see the addition of roughly 220-230 grave sites.
“I just want to make it clear for people that presales are definitely going to be a part of the expansion, and that it certainly is important as they plan for the future… We did put a temporary halt on presales because of where we were with the numbers, but as we approach the expansion, there will be presales available,” he said.
The new grave sites will be located in Section J, Bettencourt noted.
Bettencourt continued, saying he thinks the expansion will ease concern from residents regarding a potential lack of space. He said the City is looking forward to the project, and he feels help a number of people.
He explained that the City was able to purchase about 80 acres of land, some of which abuts the cemetery, which could lead to expansion opportunities in the future.
There will also be two columbariums for people who seek an alternative method for a burial. The Cemetery Commission voted on two spots, one near where the new expansion is planned at Section K, and another near the veterans section.
“We don’t know yet how they’ll look or how many spots can be used on them. We’re going to look at different options, but those two are the sites where we’re going to have the columbariums,” Bettencourt said.
He continued, “I think it’s something that’s very important to the community… We want to make sure that people know we’re looking for opportunities to expand, so that we can continue to provide every opportunity to have their remains here in our city (and) be near their loved ones.”
Bettencourt extended his appreciation to the efforts of the Cemetery Department and Cemetery Commission, saying it drives home the point that the cemetery is very important to the community.
Cemetery Commission Superintendent Conor Morgan could not be reached for comment.
