The bids have been submitted for the land being sold by the Mount Auburn Cemetery on Grove Street, but a decision will not be made until after the New Year.
Bids were due in late November and the Cemetery’s Board of Trustees met on Dec. 12 to look at the proposals. Dave Barnett, President and CEO of Mount Auburn Cemetery, said the board is still considering the proposals.
“We are fortunate to have multiple attractive bids,” Barnett said. “No final decision has yet been made, and we expect the selection process to continue into January.”
The 6 acres parcel is located in East Watertown, which has become a hotbed for biotech firms. It is also located next to Watertown’s Filippello Park, which sparked a proposal from nearby Buckingham Browne & Nichols School to use the land for playing fields. The college prep school would share the fields with the Town in exchange for the school having access to Filippello Park after school.
The proposed public/private partnership was announced in November. At the time, Barnett said that the Cemetery is looking at both the sale of the land, and a long-term lease.
The land used to be the location of a cement plan, and there is also a historic home on the site. It is also one of the locations for the Watertown Community Farms plots.
That land is also where the Grove Street location of Watertown Community Gardens is located. Whoever buys the land, WCG would like to see open space remain a part of the plan.