COURTLAND—The Town of Courtland at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, will have a public hearing at its town hall in hopes of rezoning a residential area for a cemetery.

The town recently purchased 9.46 acres off Rochelle Street for $176,740 from former Town Councilman George Kitchen Jr. to expand Riverside Cemetery, according to a real estate transfer at the Southampton County Courthouse.

In recent years, lots were only sold to residents because the 12- to 15-acre cemetery was running out of space. With the additional land, the cemetery will be reopened to out-of-towners.

The expanded cemetery is expected to have 200 to 300 plots, depending on the sizes. Families can choose a 20-by 20-foot plot or a 20-by 40-foot plot. Initial plans indicated that the new plots would be sold for $10 per square foot.

The town pays a crew to maintain the cemetery, which involves cutting the grass, cleaning trash and trimming shrubs.