Debate broke out during a Feb. 25 Boothbay Region Cemetery District trustees meeting as members discussed replacing the metal archway at Boothbay’s Evergreen Cemetery.  

As reported in the Register, the sign was severely damaged last October when an excavator operated by New Hampshire-based Dignified Cemetery Services struck and bent the archway. It has since been removed.  

The district recently received a $24,800 insurance payment for the damage.  

President Skip MacPhee believes replacement would be a waste of funds and identified the lack of readily available assistance in the event of damage as a main reason for not commissioning a new archway. “When you have stuff like this, things happen, and they always happen at the most inopportune time, and there's never anybody around to take care of it,” he said.  

Instead, he proposed a small “nondescript” sign, like the ones at Hillside and Pear Street cemeteries. 

Sara Fahnley spoke in favor of the archway, explaining it would be in line with other improvement projects at the cemetery. “(Evergreen) is the main cemetery we have right now. If we're talking about expanding it and putting a columbarium in, I think it should be the one that stands out to people,” she said.

The vote was tabled until there was a full board.  

In other business, tree removal at Oceanview Cemetery in Boothbay was discussed. The board worries that the tall surrounding pines will fall during a storm and damage the graves, which the district would be liable to repair. As removal is beyond the purview of its contracted landscaper, Bahama Breeze Landscaping, the district plans to research companies to take on the job.  

The district floated adding safety signs to cemeteries to warn of uneven ground and other potential hazards.