The Board of Cemetery Trustees shall consist of three members, elected by the Town, one each year to serve three-year terms. There shall be a Clerk, Secretary and member-at-large. Meetings are to be held monthly at a day and time to be decided by the members serving. The Clerk shall be responsible for the posting of meeting times and agendas as required by law.
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Merrimac as Art. XV of the 2016 General Bylaws. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 10-20-2025 STM by Art. 11]
The Board of Cemetery Trustees shall have the sole care, superintendence and management of all public burial grounds in its Town; may lay out any existing public burial grounds in its Town or any land purchased or donated and set apart by said Town for such cemeteries, in lots or other suitable subdivisions, with proper paths and avenues; may plant, embellish, ornament and fence the same and erect therein such suitable edifices and conveniences and make such improvements as it considers convenient; and may make such regulations, consistent with law, as it deems expedient.
A.
Sale of cemetery lots is restricted to residents, former residents and members of deceased families buried in Merrimac cemeteries. The Trustees may sell lots when and at such rates as they deem advisable.
B.
Said lots shall not be used for any other purpose than as a place for burial of human dead. Single graves shall be limited to six cremation-urn burials. Six cremations may be placed over a casket.
C.
The Chair/Clerk of the Board or their designated representative shall be responsible for the sale of all lots and is the contact for questions, problems, etc.
D.
Prices of lots and perpetual care are available from the cemetery office, 2 Locust Grove Road.
E.
Lots must be paid for in full at the time of purchase. A deed will be issued within two months. Payment may be by personal check or cashier's check made payable to the Town of Merrimac.
F.
A detailed list of the rules and regulations is included with each deed.
G.
Lot owners may not privately sell or subdivide their lots. Arrangements must be made through the Trustees.
H.
In case of hardship, assistance is available. Please inquire at the cemetery office.
A.
Funeral directors normally assume the responsibility for making arrangements for a funeral. A forty-eight-hour notice must be provided for cemetery staff. Sunday and holiday funerals are not permitted. The Clerk reserves the right to refuse a funeral when, in their best judgment or that of the funeral director, the conditions within the cemetery make the burial unsafe or impossible.
B.
All grave openings and closures are done by cemetery staff.
C.
Interments will take place only after receipt of full payment for the lot and appropriate fees, and permits have been submitted to the Trustees.
D.
Interment of cremated remains must be in a high-density, durable container or a cement vault. The cemetery employees, Cemetery Trustees, or their designated persons shall use their discretion should any questions arise.
[Amended 6-15-2020 ATM by Art. 23]
E.
Double-deep burials are not allowed.
F.
Mausoleums and all aboveground containers for the interment of bodies or cremation remains are not allowed.
A.
One upright monument will be allowed per lot. The upright stone size may not exceed the width of the lot.
B.
No large rocks will be used for monuments.
C.
Corner markers are included in the sale of lots.
[Added 4-25-2016 ATM by Art. 16]
D.
Footstones must be placed flush to the ground, except that any marker already installed may be matched.
E.
There shall be no structure or inscription placed on, upon, or around any lot which the Trustees shall deem offensive or improper; and it shall be the duty of the Trustees to remove all offensive or improper objects.
F.
No trees, shrubs or bushes may be planted. There are no exceptions.
G.
No statues or enclosures of any type are allowed.
H.
Baskets, potted plants and flower planting may extend no more than one foot from the front of the monument.
I.
Items placed on graves contrary to the above regulations will be removed without notice.
J.
Purchase of monuments and footstones is between the lot owner and a monument company.
[Amended 4-30-2012 ATM]
A.
The cemeteries are closed from sunset to sunrise.
B.
Persons shall not mark upon, deface or injure any grave marking or monument.
C.
Persons shall not gather any flowers, either wild or cultivated, in cemeteries.
D.
All clippings and trash are to be placed in receptacles found throughout the cemetery.
E.
No one shall break or mark any tree, shrub, plant, etc.
F.
Firearms shall not be discharged in cemeteries, except at military funerals or national observances.
G.
The use of all implements calculated to annoy or destroy wildlife is strictly forbidden.
H.
Alcoholic beverages are not allowed on cemetery grounds. Intoxicated persons will be removed from cemetery grounds.
I.
Pets must remain in vehicles at all times.
J.
Cemetery property is not to be used as a playground.
K.
Loitering is prohibited.
L.
A strict ten-mile-per-hour speed limit will be enforced.
M.
No metal detectors, horses or unauthorized motor vehicles will be allowed.