Facilities

Green Lawn comprises 6.5 acres on Lot 9-14, 36 North Main Street. Green Lawn's small tomb was restored for use in 1995.

Green Lawn serves another important role in the community; it is arguably the most beautiful public park in town, especially when the center allee of sugar maples is in color. The flat paths, granite benches, location in the village center, shade, and access beside a dirt road and within walking distance of the elementary school attract walkers, joggers, and bicyclists daily during warm weather. A stone wall separates the cemetery from the unpaved portion of Cemetery Road, which is being proposed to become designated by the town as a scenic road.

The newest community cemetery, not yet named or used, is lot 4-45-2. This includes the upper field behind the post office on Weston Hill Road and a section of woodland fronting on Mason Road, a total of 18 acres. The new cemetery will be designed within the next few years and will come into use before Green Lawn is exhausted. Its design will be an opportunity to continue the ideal set by Green Lawn; beauty hand-in-hand with functionality.

All told, the town probably has enough cemetery capacity to last a least a century.

There are four other known burial places in town. Although no longer in use, they should be maintained with care. They serve as reminders of Mont Vernon's history.

The Cemetery Trustees intend to work with the Selectmen to adopt the three burial grounds not yet under their care.

Planned Improvements

By law, the three elected Cemetery Trustees manage the municipal cemeteries. These Trustees, always open to suggestions from their constituency, will be seeking public comment on the name of the new cemetery and the design of both it and the yet undeveloped area in Green Lawn. Other issues for public comment include whether to emphasize utility or esthetics; whether to create a park-like design or rows of tightly packed graves; and whether to designate a special place for cremations or continue to mix interments, or both.

The Master Plan Committee recommends:

• Emphasizing the aesthetic value of the new cemetery. Hundreds of years ago, the Town designed Green Lawn in a manner that is still appreciated today. They threw down the gauntlet, challenging us to meet the high standards they set in creating a tranquil, resting places to be enjoyed and used for quiet reflection.

• Allow personalization of family plots. By allowing mixed use (cremations with burials), plantings of small plants that were of special significance to the deceased, and headstones (not just flat bronze plaques), family plots become more meaningful to the family of the deceased.

• Provide access to trails at the north end of the new cemetery either through the center (like Green Lawn) or along the edges of woods. Many equestrians currently pass through the proposed cemetery site on their way to trails north of town. Access points should be planned with recreational uses in mind.

Financing and Operations

The taxpayers are obliged to ensure the continued maintenance and operation of cemeteries. Mont Vernon is currently fortunate that 95% of the cost is financed by burial fees, right-to-inter fees ("lot sales"), and trust funds. This situation will probably change when the cy-pres funds are depleted to develop the new cemetery. At that time the taxpayer component of operating costs will probably increase.

The cemetery has no paid staff or significant equipment. All activities are volunteered by the three Cemetery Trustees or contracted by them to private contractors and the Public Works Department. Computer support is provided without charge by the Trustees.

Summary of Action Items

Cemeteries and Burial Grounds Map

New Cemetery Map