Auburn Board of Health unanimously approves new cemetery at former landfill site

AUBURN — September 9, 2025 — Auburn Board of Health unanimously approved a proposed 2,000-grave-site cemetery at Zero Cemetery Road, a parcel burdened by a legacy landfill. Chair Eric M. Otterson, Vice Chair Carolyn Griffin, and Member Kara Westerman voted 3-0 Tuesday to approve the project with conditions tied to groundwater monitoring and a hard cap of 2,000 grave sites — each capable of double burial, for a total potential capacity of 4,000 slots. Town consultant Tim Pratt, a licensed site professional with Sanborn Head, told the board he had "no outstanding concerns" after the applicant, represented by Dr. Tahir and Tyne Bond engineers, redesigned burial plots from a green-burial model to concrete vaults with floors, providing 20 to 40 feet of separation between burials and the groundwater table. The only public comment came in writing from National Grid right-of-way agent Craig Kimell, who asked to review plans for easement conflicts and raised no objections after receiving them. The board separately approved a well variance for 427 Lester Street, where a new drilled well will sit 67 feet from a proposed septic system rather than the required 100 feet, replacing an existing shallow well and cesspool on a constrained lot.