Hope Cemetery Board Updates

We offer our thanks and best wishes to the following departing members of the Hope Cemetery Corporation Board of Directors:  

Tom Dobens joined the Board of Directors in 1998 serving as Treasurer. During his 28 years as Treasurer he worked full time as Controller of Cole Harrison Agency in Kennebunk. He also served as Treasurer of the Friends of Hope Cemetery & Woods 2016-2024. In his "spare time," Tom has enjoyed acting and various tech support roles with local theater groups. As Tom entered his "retirement phase," he stepped down from the Hope Cemetery Board in March 2026 and has offered support and input to the incoming Treasurer.  

Pam Eagleson joined the Board of Directors in 2012. She played an integral role in the Hope Woods Conservation Initiative, organizing donor solicitation events and sharing her extensive knowledge of the history of Kennebunk and Hope Cemetery for the website and campaign materials. Pam was also a regular contributor to the Friends’ newsletters over the years. Her “Did You Know?” articles received many positive comments. Pam is also a professional genealogist. 

Gail Preble joined the Board of Directors in 2004 (when the Board met twice a year!) and assumed the office of Clerk/Secretary in 2008, following in the footsteps of her dad, who was a long-time Board member and officer of the Board. During her time as Secretary, Gail kept detailed notes of the monthly Board meetings and maintained all Board documentation. She helped to format the lot deeds and new member info packets and kept track/current with other corporate records. In addition to her work with the Board, Gail has served as Trustee of the Brick Store Museum, was a member of Arundel Yacht Club’s Board of Governors and was a Cabinet member of Christ Church. Gail is looking forward to her 31st year as a Professional Ski Instructor at Sunday River. 

We welcome our new Treasurer:

Chris Allen joined the Hope Cemetery Board in 2025 and now holds the office of Treasurer. Chris is Chief Risk Officer at Partners Bank, where he leads enterprise risk management, internal audit, compliance, BSA/AML, information security, fraud prevention, and credit administration functions. With decades of leadership experience in risk and audit roles across banking and consulting, he brings deep expertise in governance, regulatory compliance, and operational risk. Chris resides in Kennebunk with his wife and two adult daughters. 

Scapegoats to Help with Invasives in Hope Woods

The Hope Woods trail stewards have been working hard to remove invasives from the meadow area of the Woods, with limited success. 

We now have the opportunity for a new eco-friendly approach – Scapegoats! Based in West Kennebunk, Heather Lombard and her team will bring a herd of goats to the meadow area in Hope Woods this summer. The goats will happily feed on the bittersweet and Japanese knotweed invading the meadow.  

Why goats? Goats will eat vegetation that other livestock won't touch and are able to clear brushy areas that are inaccessible to heavy equipment. They generally don’t eat grass. Goats will clear everything they can reach, from 4-6 inches to 5-6 feet off the ground, except for thick woody stalks (¼" or thicker). After the goats leave, the low ground cover they fertilized and left behind (ex. grass, ferns, mosses) will take over and help keep out new growth. 

How does it work? The Scapegoats team will deliver the goats (approximately 7). The area will be enclosed with temporary electric net fencing to keep the goats where they belong and prevent visits from other wildlife. The goats are given fresh water daily and enjoy their broadleaf vegetation buffet for a week. They are then picked up and taken back to their home or to another client. *Please Note: While people are very welcome to come see the goats at work, be aware that barking dogs will stress out the goats and prevent them from doing their job. Also please don’t feed the goats as they will have all the food they need within their enclosure. 

About Scapegoats and Heather: Heather happened to hear about goat brush-clearing. She was intrigued by the idea and did some research. She learned the business from The Goat Girls in Amherst MA, opening Scapegoats in 2015. Learn more about Scapegoats here.  

Heather is a lifelong animal lover with vast experience caring for animals. In 2025 she founded Mousam Misfits, a safe, loving home for small farm animals in need. She also has run a pet-care business for the last 20+ years and even spent some time working as a vet tech. Learn more about her new venture, Mousam Misfits, by visiting the website mousammisfits.com and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.