Selectmen Disagree With Trustees Over Cemetery Fields' Fees

Amherst selectmen are looking to open up dialogue with cemetery trustees over the future of Cemetery Fields.

The trustees sent a letter to selectmen calling for the recreation commission to pay them the fees that have been collected by sports teams and private groups for the use of the playing fields over the years. Cemetery Fields has been used for recreation, but will developed for cemeteries in September, 2014.

Cemetery trustees have called for an audit to receive all fees collected since 1998, but selectmen disagreed that it is needed.

Selectman John D’Angelo said at Monday’s meeting that the recreation commission has not been charging fees to the town’s sports clubs, only to non-residents. He said the demand for fees is invalid and it was odd that the trustees would pursue the issue now.

Selectman Brad Galinson, who serves as a liaison for the trustees, was present during a meeting with the trustees and the Attorney General on Cemetery Fields. He said that there was no information shared at the April 18 meeting that everyone present didn’t already know.

Galinson said that their position is inaccurate and it would “inappropriate, irrelevant and a waste of time to pursue it.” He added that even if the town were charging for field use, which it is not, nothing in lease agreement entitles cemetery trustees to it.

The contract does state that the trustees have the right to cancel the agreement at any time, without cause, after a 30-day notice. They have already threatened to end recreational use on the property early if the fees they have requested are not received by June 30, 2013.

The board agreed that an open dialogue needs to be established with the trustees to explore alternatives. The trustees have stated that the property will cease recreational use next year, and they do not wish to pursue such alternatives. These include extending the deadline, dividing the property, swapping the property and selling it to the town.

Selectmen have invited the trustees to meet with them in a public meeting to discuss these options. A public information session was held last week on Cemetery Fields, but the trustees were not looking to debate the issue during that meeting.

D’Angelo said that the town has been using the fields free-of-charge over the years, except for maintenance and improvements. Voters have shot down previous proposals for additional playing field space, and would need to approve any future costs related to playing fields.