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the Town, a new cemetery site is being considered, which would allow the existing <br /> cemetery to remain a burial ground solely for the Native Americans. <br /> The Mashpee Cemetery Study Committee has reviewed potential sites that could serve as <br /> the Town's second cemetery. One site under consideration is a 15.9 parcel located on <br /> Great Neck Road South, one mile south of the Mashpee Rotary. This parcel is known as <br /> the Mingo property (see Map 8). The Cemetery Study Committee has also looked at <br /> alternative sites, including the Keeter property on Red Brook Road. This 36 acre site also <br /> is being considered for affordable housing units and a fire and rescue substation. Once <br /> the Committee can reach consensus on the Mingo property, and some issues that are <br /> identified below are resolved, this site can be finalized. <br /> Before the Mingo site can approved for use as Town Cemetery, the property needs to j <br /> have its status as "Town Forest" removed. Since Mashpee never had a Town Forest <br /> Committee, an authorized town board or department must vote to remove the Town <br /> Forest status. Approval would then be needed by 2/3 of Town voters to: release the land <br /> as conservation purposes, rescind a previous Town Meeting votes for use of property as a <br /> school and then direct the Board of Selectmen to submit a petition to the state legislature. <br /> Finally, a 2/3 vote is needed by state legislature to approve the removal of the Town ' <br /> Forest status. <br /> A Master Plan and/or Business Plan is needed once the site has been finalized. Thisp lan <br /> should address the following: <br /> • how the Town is going to approach the design, clearing and layout of plots <br /> how the Town is going to handle the selling of plots, operating and maintal=' g the <br /> cemetery. <br /> In order to complete this plan information is needed on: <br /> how much it will cost to clear the needed land <br /> ■ how much land should be cleared <br /> ■ what Town department/staff person(s) should be dealing with the financial affairs, <br /> including how much to charge per plot. <br /> ■ what Town department/staff person(s) should be involved in the operating and <br /> p g <br /> maintaining of the cemetery <br /> ■ also this study should determine whether the Town has sufficient staff top rovide all <br /> the aforementioned services, or if not, in which areas would we need outside <br /> assistance. <br /> Outside assistance may be available from the Cemetery Association of Massachusetts. <br /> They should be contacted before the Town begins the plan preparation stage. In addition, <br /> P g <br /> the military at Otis may be able to come in with engineers to assist in the layout and <br /> clearing of land for plots. The design of the cemeteryitself may be best handled b a <br /> L y Y <br /> Landscape Architect. <br /> Finally, monies are going to be needed to be identified in the five-year Capital <br /> Improvement Plan for the cemetery. As envisioned by the Cemetery Study Committee, <br /> once this site is approved, work should begin on the Master/Business Plan, which would <br /> address the issues discussed above. The Committee foresees about five acres that would <br /> need to be cleared for the cemetery layout. <br /> 23 <br />