After a long and snowy winter, Hudson’s Cemetery Board of Trustees held its first meeting of 2026, welcoming back a familiar face. Mel Gannon returned to the Board following her recent election, resuming a role she previously held.
“She’s our newest member,” said Trustee Christina Madden. “Mel’s not new to the Board, but she was elected this year after a brief hiatus.”
Because it was their first meeting since the town election, the Trustees began by reorganizing leadership. Madden, who had been serving as Chair, offered to step aside and nominated fellow Trustee Dan Barthelemy to take over the position through March 2027. Barthelemy accepted the nomination and was elected without debate. Madden agreed to continue serving as Secretary. Selectman Heidi Jakoby attended the meeting as the Board of Selectmen’s liaison.
Barthelemy’s first task as Chair was to review the Trustees’ financial status. “Last year we expended $3,280. We have $1,260 encumbered, with a balance of $510,” he said. “Out of the $5,050 total, $50 of that is allocated to postage, and $5,000 is allocated to professional services.”
He also noted a small but welcome correction. “We actually saw some cost savings in our stone repairs last year,” he said, explaining that the Trustees had negotiated an $80 discount on contracted repair work. In a year when many municipal costs have risen, even modest savings were appreciated.
Encumbered funds, money set aside for planned work, remain a recurring issue for the Trustees, who oversee six town owned burial grounds. Their responsibilities include routine maintenance, headstone stabilization, and long term preservation of historic markers.
“The remaining stones are listed, and to remind everyone, we have more money encumbered because we agreed to repair 12 stones,” Barthelemy said. “We got eight done in the 2025 calendar year, and we have four remaining to get done in this fiscal year.”
With the 2025–2026 fiscal year ending on June 30, the remaining repairs are expected to be completed by early summer.
“Are all of these stones in the same cemetery, or are they dispersed throughout?” Madden asked.
Barthelemy explained that the work is spread across multiple cemeteries. Sunnyside, in particular, will rely heavily on trust fund money to cover most of its repairs, reducing the strain on the Trustees’ limited operating budget.
Beyond the 12 stones already repaired or scheduled for repair, the Trustees identified 11 additional headstones in need of “critical” attention. These were flagged even before accounting for any new damage caused by winter weather.
“We need to prioritize these and get those fixed,” Barthelemy said, noting that the Board may need to draw from the 2026–2027 budget to address the next round of repairs. “We can only start repairing those stones when the weather warms up. Those are all of our current plans and current approval for stone repairs, though there are others we did notice last year.”
To get a clearer picture of the work ahead, the Trustees plan to conduct a spring walkthrough of all cemeteries. The inspection will help confirm the condition of previously identified stones and uncover any new issues, including dirty or leaning headstones, damaged markers, and deteriorating stone fences that surround many of Hudson’s historic burial grounds.
The walkthrough will also help the Trustees prioritize repairs for the upcoming fiscal year and determine whether additional funding or trust fund allocations will be needed.