Article 25 Community Preservation Act: Historical Preservation

From: Judith Bannister
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 8:50 AM
To: Select Board
Subject: South Cemetery Fence

Save your money. We don’t want a fence.

South Cemetery is beautiful, a rolling green lawn that blends into the rest of South Amherst. The effect is one of peaceful, rural openness, something that is disappearing bit by bit as we build on much of the old farmland in Amherst. A fence would only intrude on this open space, an expensive reminder that the days of the natural flow of land and open spaces are numbered.

And let's face it, you couldn't build a fence high enough to keep out vandals unless you're thinking of adding a razor-wire top and I don't think that fits in with Amherst's image of itself. The fact is, South Amherst is not an isolated rural setting; it is a rural residential community. The cemetery is surrounded by homes full of people who act as perfectly adequate deterrents and who, at the very least, can call the police if they hear a ruckus in the cemetery.

I envision another drawback to a fence. Such a tightly enclosed environment might well tempt local residents who now walk their dogs (and many pick up after them) to bring them into the enclosure, unleash them and let them run. The chances of owners following their dogs around and picking up after them are nil so I don't see this as having a positive effect on the cemetery.

The Amherst town administration has been talking about cutbacks and complaining about a lack of money. Why would you then decide to spend money on another pointless project in South Amherst? You've pretty much fenced in the playing fields on Potwine Lane and given us a lovely blacktop parking lot where we used to make do with the wild grasses and wetlands. Please, take your money and use it somewhere where it's needed. South Cemetery is a very real part of South Amherst, actively used by local residents. We don't want it fenced off and locked at night; we want it to remain an open, vital part of our landscape, one that we enjoy visiting and walking through, even at night.

Thanks for listening.

Judy Bannister
XXXX Potwine Lane (one house away from the cemetery)

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From: "Tucker, Jonathan"
Date: May 22, 2007 1:24:42 PM EDT
To: Judy Bannister
Cc: "Gai Carpenter", "Edith MacMullen", "Wald, James", "Brewer, Alisa"
Subject: RE: South Cemetery Fence

Dear Ms. Bannister:

Thank your for your letter. I hope this will address the concerns you raise:

Funding – The monies proposed to be used to design and install a fence for the South Amherst Cemetery are Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. CPA funds cannot be used to address the Town’s budget difficulties or for any purpose other than community preservation projects. There are no Town budget savings to be had in deferring this project.

Who’s Making This Proposal – The Amherst Historical Commission proposed this project because Commission members themselves had observed increasing toppling and damage to historic headstones in the 1818 South Cemetery. To be clear, the Historical Commission had nothing whatsoever to do with the Plum Brook Recreation Area project, and there is no connection between that recreation area project and this cemetery preservation project. Amherst Town government consists of numerous volunteer citizen committees, each of which represents and independently pursues different aspects of the public interest. There is no monolithic “you” to address when trying to make draw parallels between different Town projects.

Cemetery Security - As noted, the Historical Commission proposed a fence for South Cemetery to improve security for old headstones and other resources in this historic cemetery. Among the headstones are a number of family plots and stones moved to South Amherst from cemeteries in the Quabbin towns, prior to its inundation. No fence will keep out determined vandals, any more than will the proximity of concerned neighbors. The damage done to date has apparently occurred without much accompanying ruckus, and in spite of the presence and vigilance of neighbors. The principal point of proposing a fence for this cemetery is to be able to gate the paved driveways—to keep vehicles out of the cemetery at night. There are numerous headstones set very close to the paved drives that are much more vulnerable to being struck at night than they are in the daytime. Partying in the cemetery is only one concern. There is a growing market in stolen historic funerary objects, including headstones. Being able to drive a vehicle right up to an intended object of theft—particularly something as heavy as a headstone—makes it easy to steal. Unlike in the downtown West Cemetery, where foot traffic from the bars makes it advisable to close that cemetery at night, there would be little need to limit night-time pedestrian access to South Cemetery. Cemeteries are historically intended to serve as public green spaces, places of contemplation as well as resting places for our dead.

Fence Design – No design has been developed for the proposed fence, beyond the general idea of using the historic wooden column-and-picket fence at the North Amherst Cemetery as a model, and the need to close off the driveway entrances. The Historical Commission intends to hold public meetings in South Amherst to develop design concepts for any such fencing, so South Amherst residents will have a voice in whatever occurs. It may be that the only places where any fencing would be needed would be along the streetside edges of the cemetery, with pedestrian access at the corners—partial ‘edge’ fencing of this kind would discourage people from letting their dogs off-leash during walks. The North Amherst Cemetery fence occurs only along the street. If for some reason it was decided that South Cemetery needed to be encircled with fencing, pedestrian gates could be created and kept unlocked. There are many ways to ensure continued pedestrian access for neighbors and visitors. South Amherst residents can help ensure that their interests are included in the fence design.

Rural Openness – I grew up in South Amherst from the age of six on, so I well remember the landscape you describe—I roamed across most of it throughout my childhood. South Amherst was 80% open fields and only 20% woods back then. That percentage has now reversed. Building construction to house new residents over the past 40 years is only part of what has reduced the sense of openness in South Amherst. The decline of active farming has also had a powerful ‘enclosing’ effect on the landscape, as the woods succeed in and cover former farm fields. The loss of a sense of openness that a fence might impose on South Cemetery could be a real one. That must be balanced, however, against other potential losses.

The historic North Amherst Cemetery fence (recently restored through the efforts of Amherst’s DPW and Smith Vocational School students) is a traditional rural feature, and it also serves as a visual barrier, unconsciously warning passing drivers of the presence of the cemetery. On the east side of the South Cemetery, South East Street runs uphill from the cemetery and serves as a major commuter corridor (as a Potwine Lane resident, you certainly know that from experience). South East Street is not going to become less busy in the foreseeable future. Without the visual ‘boundary’ reminder that a fence provides, a sight-impaired or inebriated driver on South East Street could visually “lose their way” at night and plow downhill into the cemetery, causing extensive damage to the historic headstones. In the balancing of public interests that all Town boards and committees struggle to achieve, the Historical Commission has come down on the side of protecting the historic resources that belong to all members of the Amherst community. That’s what this project is intended to do.

I hope that answers your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with further questions.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Tucker
Planning Director