SACKETS HARBOR — Facing a shortage in the number of plots remaining at its Lakeside Cemetery, the town of Hounsfield is considering expanding the cemetery by purchasing a piece of adjacent property.

However, the town is still negotiating how much it wants to spend and how much land it will attempt to purchase.

“There’s a lot of issues we need to clear out,” town Supervisor Timothy W. Scee said.

The cemetery, sandwiched between Dodge Avenue and Old Military Road, has only four available plots.

The town is looking at four lots owned by George M. McCulloch that total about 1.3 acres. Town officials have been given estimates for each lot of between $30,000 and $40,000.

In addition to the price of the property, there also are questions about preparing the lots, now developed for housing, for the cemetery.

“We’ve got to find out what kind of utility foundation we have,” Mr. Scee said.

Utilities on site would have to be cleared, which could become an extensive process if the properties had any recorded easements.

“You wouldn’t want to dig down and hit a gas main or a water main,” Mr. Scee said.

The potential costs of such work mean there will likely be further Town Council discussions on whether the expansion would make sense.

“We don’t want to lose a lot of money here,” Councilman Stephen H. Lee said.

The town, which has been in discussions for several years with the cemetery’s association to take over its assets, received the final paperwork necessary to complete the turnover in April.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer