Board Backs Letter Rebutting Crematory Report

Board of Health · Meeting of August 18, 2026

Lexington's Board of Health voted 5-0 to send a letter rebutting a crematory committee's minority report, while flagging that the town has no Sunday or overnight cooling location. Dr. Jillian Tung, representing the board on the town's Crematory Study Committee, said a five-of-seven majority recommended against building a crematory at Westview Cemetery, citing cost and excess existing cremation capacity, and said the dissenting minority report misstates findings from a November 18, 2025 board letter.

"There remains far greater capacity for general cremation than demand," Tung said. Member Sue Wolf-Fordham pushed for budget action on a generator for the library or Community Center, calling it "a right now issue." Health Director Alicia McCartan confirmed the town's heat action plan is "done and finalized," but said a plan for Sunday and nighttime cooling access is still being developed for next year. Chair Wendy Heiger-Bernays also reported new Mount Sinai data showing synthetic turf fields reaching 120 to 140 degrees when ambient temperature is 80 degrees.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,941 words

Source: the Board of Health meeting of August 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.