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Minutes of the
Lexington Ad Hoc Crematory Study Meeting
December 20, 2018
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Location and Time: 201 Bedford Street; 2nd Floor Training Room; 7:00 P.M.
Members Present: Narain Bhatia, Judith Crocker, Sara Iverson, Bridger McGaw (arrived
7:15), George Burnell (EDAC), John Flynn (Board of Health),
Member Absent: Msgr. Paul Garrity (LICA)
Others Present: Sanjay Padaki (Appropriation liaison), Sandy Beebee (Capital
Expenditures liaison), Douglas Lucente (Chair, and Board of Selectmen liaison),
David Pinsonneault (DPW liaison), Carolyn Kosnoff (Finance liaison)
Documents Presented:
a. Littleton
i. Littleton Draft Business Plan —This is a fiscal analysis done by
Littleton in 2009.
ii. Littleton Crematory Research —2009—It contains data gathered by
the Littleton Committee and includes articles and data from Plymouth and
Duxbury, as well as the meeting minutes from some of the Littleton Meetings.
iii. Littleton Crematory Draft RFP —This is draft RPF created by Littleton.
iv. Littleton Crematory Study Report— May 2010 —This is a summary
presentation from the Littleton Study Committee.
b. Economist Magazine Article on Cremation —April 2018—This article contains
cremation trends and statistics.
c. Popular Mechanics Article on Crematoriums — March 2018—This is an article is
on how a cremation works.
d. Westview Cemetery Rules and Regulations —June 2017—This contains the
current fees.
e. Revised Crematory Study Milestones Chart
Mr. Lucente called the meeting to order at 7:07pm. The meeting began with a review
of the Littleton Draft Business Plan. Committee members discussed what aspects of
the Littleton study could be utilized for Lexington purposes.
The group questioned how to obtain an accurate count of the crematories in the
greater Boston area, including contacting DEP and the Board of Health. Eight
crematories (Peabody, Cambridge, Attleboro, Haverill, Worcester, Boston, Forest
Hills, and Newton) were chosen for further investigation.
Mr. Pinsonneault brought up staffing considerations for a crematorium. He stated
Lexington may need additional 2 % staff members in order to operate a facility that
could be competitive in the area. There were some concerns that this estimate was
too high.
Committee members additionally discussed space requirements for a new
crematorium. Mr. Bhatia expressed his opinion that a viewing area accommodating
at least 50 people was necessary to fulfill the needs of the South Asian community.
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Lexington Ad Hoc Crematory Study Meeting
December 20, 2018
The group decided to contact faith leaders from diverse communities to further
research which faiths would make need of local crematory services. There were
discussions about the financial implications of operating a crematorium, the goals of
the town with regards to a crematorium, whether the crematorium needed to be
attached to the Westview Cemetery maintenance facility, and the objectives the
committee wanted to achieve before Town Meeting.
Tasks
Committee members updated their progress on their assigned tasks. These include:
• Mr. Flynn plans to reach out to DEP and the Department of Health to further
explore environmental concerns.
• Ms. Crocker will study demographic and economic factors that could influence
the number of cremations in the future.
• Mr. Bhatia will reach out to faith leaders.
• Ms. Iverson plans to contact crematories.
• Several members also expressed a desire to gather information from funeral
directors.
• Mr.McGaw updated the group on what information he needed to complete his
financial analysis.
• Mr. Lucente offered to plan a future field trip to Westview cemetery.
Adjourn
A Motion was made and seconded at 9:28 P.m. to adjourn. Vote: unanimous in favor.
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