The Cemetery Commission on Wednesday night heard from Department of Public Works Director Kerry Reed about early conceptual plans for an expansion of Mt. Auburn Cemetery and discussed the project’s long forecast.

“Kerry put a placeholder on this for 2030,” said Cemetery Commission chair Linda Kimball. “That would be just when we would be applying for the money.” Kimball estimated that the project would take between 8-10 years from the earliest design phases to full completion.

In July, initial designs for the Mt. Auburn expansion were released on the town website. The plan expands the property to 1,240 full body lots. It also includes widening the road through the cemetery, the addition of ornamental features and aesthetic improvements to frontage along Mt. Auburn Street.

Increasing demand and the purchase of additional nearby property have spurred on the project’s development. Reed told the Independent back in September that based on current sales and usage, Mt. Auburn would sell out of lots within the next 10 years. The town is required by state law to provide burial places for residents.

Reed took the commission through some preliminary cost estimates developed in coordination with landscape architect Halvorson. The estimate does not include considerations such as engineering or easements. “We don’t know the actual cost until we go out to bid,” she stressed. 

Reed also split proposed frontage work from the cemetery expansion “because they’re kind of two separate projects.”

The estimate developed by Halvorson and the DPW puts the initial cost of the expansion at $1,082,443. The frontage project is estimated at $189,340. Those amounts account for items such as site preparation, earthwork, stormwater infrastructure, road expansion and aesthetic features.

“It was in line with everything that we were anticipating,” Reed said.

Kimball said she anticipated that the project likely would reach a total cost of between $1.4 million and $1.5 million.

Reed concluded her presentation with a view of the cemetery’s current capacity and a plan for requesting the project funds. The expansion plan would require a vote to appropriate funds at a future Town Meeting, Reed explained.

“We think that the existing Mt. Auburn can support the town for the next 10-15 years,” she said. “Nothing says we have to wait that long; we certainly shouldn’t wait much longer.” Reed shared that getting the funds approved earlier may help to phase out work and facilitate the selling of lots.

She added that it might be possible for the commission to request the funds for the frontage project through the Community Preservation Committee.

During the discussion, Lucia Lopez, a Mt. Auburn Street abutter, brought up concerns regarding screening between the property she and her husband own and the cemetery. The plans show tree coverage on that line of the property, but “those trees are so tall that it’s mostly tree trunks,” Lopez said. 

Reed stressed that the plan was in its early conceptual phases. “When we get toward the next levels, we’re going to do more outreach to abutters,” she said. Reed also informed Lopez that adding additional screening there such as hedges and smaller trees might interfere with an existing stormwater easement.