Billerica Cemetery Commission Secures $15,000 for Headstone Restoration After Grant Falls Through

BILLERICA -- June 22, 2026, Billerica Cemetery Commission confirms $15,000 for headstone restoration after grant bid fails. The commission, meeting June 22, learned that a $10,000 grant application linked to American Revolution commemoration funding was unsuccessful, but that a $15,000 warrant article approved at spring Town Meeting from cemetery lot-sale proceeds will fully fund restoration work across eligible headstones. Cemetery Supervisor Tim Chase said he will re-engage the monument company that previously assessed the project. Two residents, Robert Smutek and Christina Micciche, told the commission that maintenance crews, including sheriff's department inmate work teams, had repeatedly removed live perennial plants and wired artificial flowers from within the established 12-inch monument protection zone, with Smutek describing three consecutive years of losses. The commission declined informally to allow a supplemental flat marker in the new cemetery section for a family whose headstone has run out of engraving space, and reiterated that solar lights, shepherd hooks, and similar decorative items remain prohibited. Members began early-stage discussion of a potential new cemetery chapel, agreeing to continue the conversation at their next meeting, set for September 28, 2026.