After inflation-forced cuts, Quincy councilors approve $16.4 million cemetery expansion

Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger
·4 min read

QUINCY – A proposed expansion project at Pine Hill Cemetery was approved by the city council's finance committee this week, overcoming initial skepticism by councilors and attempts to cut almost $2 million from its budget.

David Murphy, the city's commissioner of natural resources, first asked Quincy city councilors last month to approve borrowing $16.4 million to add more than 13,600 interment spaces, including the city's first cremation niches, to Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street. The project would create space for 8,000 new caskets, including 680 in the veterans section; spruce up sections of the cemetery; and add a welcome center.

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At their April 4 meeting, councilors said they needed to see a more detailed cost analysis and a plan to recoup the cost of the project before moving forward. In the time since, Murphy said much of the construction work was put out to bid and reflected a "volatile market" amid inflation, rising interest rates and high construction costs.

"Inflation is going to take its toll on this project," Murphy said. "The bidders are not only responding to current inflation, but they have a responsibility to bid with projected inflation as well."

David Murphy, Quincy's commissioner of natural resources, talks about the new 7-acre plot the city plans to clear to add room to Quincy's Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street.
David Murphy, Quincy's commissioner of natural resources, talks about the new 7-acre plot the city plans to clear to add room to Quincy's Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street.

The lowest bidder, whom Murphy said the city has worked with in the past, was C. Naughton Corp. of Canton at almost $14.7 million. Murphy said that was $1.5 million lower than the second-lowest bidder, and $10 million lower than the highest.

C. Naughton's bid does not include the cost of building a proposed welcome center and a separate committal structure – a covered, open-air pavilion for services to be held.

In response to the high bid, Murphy said project managers went back to the drawing board to "try to keep this a self-funded project." He said the city expects to ultimately earn $24.1 million from the sale of the new plots created by the project, as well as fees and charges associated with interment.

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Joe Shea, principal with Granite City Partners, said the revamp included eliminating plans to build the committal structure, replaced granite curbing with cheaper asphalt berms, changed retaining walls to pre-cast concrete blocks, changed granite pavers to stamped concrete and reduced the landscaping plan. Overall, planners cut $2.5 million in work from the initial plan.

"The reality of the cost structure today, the reality of inflation, led us to the tough decision to eliminate the committal structure," Shea said. "With the elimination of that structure, there is a cascading effect. We've eliminated electrical work, we've eliminated a septic system, we've been able to eliminate more than just the building component cost to ensure that we stay within $16.4 million."

Quincy's Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street in West Quincy will soon see a 13,600-space expansion.
Quincy's Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street in West Quincy will soon see a 13,600-space expansion.

A breakdown provided to councilors shows the city spending $14,685,000 on the expansion, landscaping and sitework, and $1,195,000 on construction of a welcome center. The proposal includes $520,000 of contingency money, totaling the initial $16.4 million request.

Councilor-at Large Anne Mahoney was largely critical of the project, particularly what she called an "astronomically" expensive and "ugly" welcome center. Murphy has said the welcome center will help improve the overall appeal of the cemetery.

"The city of Quincy cannot afford to be spending $16.4 million when we have a million projects this administration wants to do," Mahoney said. "There is a point where we can't do them all. ... This project is overpriced."

Quincy's Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street in West Quincy will soon see a 13,600-space expansion.
Quincy's Pine Hill Cemetery off Willard Street in West Quincy will soon see a 13,600-space expansion.

Councilor-at-Large Nina Liang proposed cutting $1,965,000 from the budget to eliminate several line items, including the welcome center and the $520,000 contingency.

The move to cut the budget did not pass. Liang and Mahoney were the only yes votes.

The project was approved by the city council finance committee by a vote of 5 to 2. Liang and Mahoney voted against the project. Councilors Anthony Andronico and Brian Palmucci were not at the meeting.

Councilors will have to vote to approve the project again at a full meeting of the city council before it can begin.

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Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Quincy approves $16.4 million cemetery expansion after inflation cuts