Health Board Approves Private Cemetery On North Harwich Farm
by William F. Galvin

            HARWICH --- There will be a new cemetery in North Harwich with the board of health issuing an approval a site assignment for a private burial plot on land owned by Leo and Andrea Cakounes off Factory Road.

            A hearing was held by the board last Tuesday and despite objections from Christine Wood, a cemetery commissioner, who said she was speaking as a private citizen and the commission did not discuss the request, the board granted the 18-plot burial site.

            The cemetery will be located on a 17-acre parcel owned by the Cakounes family upon which cranberries are grown. He told the board he has done a soil boring down 168 inches and presented a soil condition assessment by an engineer. The purpose of the test is to show the burial site is not at the cranberry bog level and would be up on higher ground, he said.

            Health board member Dr. Alfred Hurst wanted to know how far the site would be from Robbins Pond. Cakounes said it is 950 feet. The property owner added the site is 450 feet away from the nearest drinking water well.

Board chairman Dr. Stanley Kocot said the proposal cites 24 plots and Cakounes said the intention is to use one lot for cremation remains and a husband and wife might be located in one vault.

            “What assurance do we have 100 years from now the cemetery will be cared for?” Kocot asked. Attorney Brian Widegren, representing the Cakounes family, said the health board can put conditions in the approval for ongoing care of the site.

            Health Board Director Paula Champagne said she received one letter from Joan M. Jones, who read the story in The Chronicle and said she previously tried to get a burial site on six acres she owns in town, but was told several years ago that was not possible. Jones made an inquiry to a local funeral director and not the town, Champagne said.

“I’m very much opposed,” Wood said. “If we open up for one, we’ll have many.”
Wood said the town has 15 cemeteries and they have expanded several and acquired others recently which can be expanded.

“I see no reason why Mr. Cakounes wants to be so exclusive,” Wood said. “If he doesn’t want to be buried with the rest of us, he can be buried at sea or cremated and placed on a mantle.

“How can we keep track of them (cemetery plots)? Years ago we had cemeteries all over, but that was because there was no transportation. People should be buried together even if we don’t like each other.”

Widegren said the law requires multiple records be kept on locations and those people who are interred there. Kocot agreed, stating the role of the board of health now is to keep track of such records.

“When I was growing up it was farm country and it was a common practice, good practice,” Andrew Higgins said of the private cemetery. “I think it’s a good idea.”

Richard Waystack also supported the grant of a site assignment. He cited the old ties to the farming community and Waystack said in times when the Cape is losing farms Cakounes has made great efforts to protect such lands for the future. He also said it shows a “respect and love for his family” to have the burial grounds on his property.

Champagne said the board of health got involved in site assignment years ago as part of disease control and over concerns for contamination of water supply. The health director said she sees no problem with this request and recommended its approval. The board voted the site assignment.

Cakounes said he will be purchasing vaults this week and his wife’s father, Andrew “Ted” Kenny, who passed away three weeks ago, will be interred at the family burial grounds shortly thereafter.             

8/21/08