SAUGUS Your Local News, Sports & More! Scan & Subscribe to Advocate News Online! E Vol. 28, No. 45 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Published Every Friday THE JOY OF READING 781-233-4446 Friday, November 13, 2026 Running Out of Room Riverside Cemetery faces limited burial space as expansion questions remain By Aidan DeLange R iverside Cemetery is running short on burial space and has fewer than 15 plots left, bringing urgency to a years-old question over how soon the town-owned cemetery will run out of space and how many of the nearly 30,000 Saugus residents can be buried in the community they call home. Gail Cassarino, a septuagenarMEETING HIS HERO: Noah Bodvar, right, a third grader at the Belmonte STEAM Academy, displays a copy of the book that Lauren Tarshis, author of the best-selling I Survived Series, autographed for him. “Today is the best day of my life,” Noah told Tarshis after he got to meet the writer of his favorite book. Tarshis’ visit last week was the latest in a series of programs that have brought celebrated children’s authors to Saugus, giving students a chance to meet the authors of books that have inspired them. Please see inside for the story. (Courtesy photo of Amy Melton) Home of the Week BEST BUILDING IN AUSTIN COURT! Offered at $345,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Commonwealth Real Estate Formerly Carpenito Real Estate SAUGUS - 1st AD - This top floor, corner unit is perfectly located and maintained featuring kitchen with granite counter tops, ceramic tile backsplash and dining area open to huge living room with hardwood flooring, oversized storage closet, bright and sunny, king size bedroom with hardwood flooring and slider to newer, private balcony overlooking inground pool. One exclusive use, off street parking. Only building with private balconies! Affordable and carefree living in this impressive unit! You will not be disappointed! (781) 233-7300 335 Central St. Saugus commonmoves.com ©2024 BHH Affiliates, LLC, An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of Columbia Insurance Company, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Equal Housing Opportunity. ian, feels the urgency already. The lifelong Saugus resident has family members buried at Riverside and visits the cemetery about once a week. She hopes to eventually join them, but for now, is on a waiting list to purchase an unused burial lot from a private owner. Cassarino said she would be “very disappointed” if additional space could not be found and she was ultimately unable to be buried at Riverside. Located on Winter Street, Riverside Cemetery dates back to 1844, when Saugus purchased a single acre of land from then town Selectman Salmon Snow to establish a public burial ground. The town expanded the cemetery in 1858 and again in 1874, according to a 1918 Cemetery Commission report. The cemetery expanded multiple times over the following decades and was described as covering approximately 17 acres in a 2013 town report. Today it is maintained by the Saugus Cemetery Department, which generally limits burial lot purchases to eligible town residents. At a June 2023 Special Town Meeting, the Cemetery Commission described Riverside as “close to capacity” and said the town would have no option for ground burials once the remaining space — 40 plots at the time — was exhausted. The Commission said it had already spent several years exploring options to expand Riverside or establish a new cemetery but hadn’t come up with a permanent solution. During that meeting, the Cemetery Commission also said about six of the roughly 30 acres it was considering across the river from Riverside might be usable for burials. The land was already part of the cemetery’s property. The Town Meeting then approved $66,100 for a study to determine whether that land could be used for exCEMETERY | SEE PAGE 2 Established 1978 Mid-grade Regular 3.59 4.28 5.73 $4.64 Full Service ULS $4.879 Order online at angelosoil.com Kerosene Now Available! FLEET CARD Check Out Our LOW PRICES!
2 Publizr Home