Seekonk Running Low on Grave Space

Since 1890, the Seekonk Cemetery  on Newman Avenue next to  has served as the final resting place for locals and some people from other areas. While there is no limit on how long the dearly departed can stay at the cemetery, there is a cap on how many people can claim the property as their final home. And space is running out.

Town Clerk Jan Parker said at the Board of Selectmen meeting on Wednesday that there are approximately 100 plots remaining at the nearly five-acre property, and the town sells about 30 each year.

"After tonight, we'll get another rush," she said. "We always do after we tell people we're getting low on [available plots]."

State law requires Massachusetts towns to provide "one or more suitable places for the interment of persons dying within its limits." So a new cemetery is needed.

Parker said she initially looked into the matter several years ago. She was told by the water district, which owns property next to the cemetery, that the town’s property could be expanded. However, a recent analysis by Seekonk’s engineering consultant determined water lines and wetness of the property made cemetery expansion impossible, Town Administrator Pam Nolan said.

Parker proposed a two-acre property next to the former Pleasant Street Elementary School as a good site for a new cemetery. Other possible sites are located on Howland and School streets. Nolan said town staff would look into this further and bring a proposal to the selectmen in October.