MINOT — Lots in the Center Minot Hill Cemetery expansion will be up for sale in just a matter of weeks now that selectmen have approved the Cemetery Committee’s recommendations governing their sale and development.

“We’ve asked Main-Land Development to begin pinning the lots and they should be done within a couple of weeks,” Selectman Eda Tripp told the board Monday.

Selectmen agreed that duties for the care of town cemeteries should be handled by two persons — an administrator responsible for the sale of lots and a custodian, who would be present to ensure that graves are dug in the proper lots and again to ensure stones are properly set.

Selectmen also agreed that the town will be responsible for all grave openings, with duties generally falling to the town’s highway crew, but with an allowance that the work can be contracted out to private contractors.

Town Administrator Arlan Saunders was informed that he would be the cemetery administrator and Eda Tripp was appointed cemetery custodian.

The cost for burial lots will be $600 each and cremation lots will be $300 each.

The three-acre expansion, undertaken in response to a scarcity of burial lots in town, has room for more than 800 individual regular casket-sized lots and about 1,500 lots for cremations.

Plans call for some part of the area at the top of the cemetery, between the access roads, to be set aside as a memorial garden.

Saunders reported that Recreation Committee member Lisa Cesare has talked to Scott Segal, the town of Poland’s recreation director, who would like to use the new soccer field in Minot Memorial Park as the permanent home field for grades 3 through 8 football teams.

He noted that when he sought Recreation Committee Chairman Candace Gilpatric’s opinion on the matter, her response was “we have the fields, let’s use them.”

Selectmen concurred with Gilpatric but, on further discussion, decided a number of issues must be ironed out prior to making a commitment.

Selectmen noted that someone needs to be in charge of dealing with scheduling and maintenance problems. Representatives from the Minot-Hebron Athletic Association, the Poland Recreation Department and the Bruce Whitttier Middle School Athletic Department will be invited to the selectmen’s Aug. 23 meeting to work out details.

Saunders also noted that the construction of the final phase of the walking trails has been advertised for bids and that bid opening will occur at the meeting that day.

Highway Department Foreman Scott Parker reported that thanks to help from Hebron and Mechanic Falls road crews, the shouldering on newly paved portion of Brighton Hill Road is complete. Saunders noted that, in turn, Minot’s crew will assist with shouldering work in Mechanic Falls once their paving program is complete.

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