Fairview Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting

City of Bastrop Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting April 26, 2012 4:00 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers 1311 Chestnut Street Bastrop, Texas 78602 I. Call to Order. Chairperson Terry Sanders called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. Board members in attendance were Carl Spooner, Ted Schaefer, Mary Williams, and Jerry Woehl. Joel Reed was absent. Staff members attending the meeting were Curtis Ervin, Karla Stovall, Mike Talbot, and Zana Jones. II. Announcements. Vice-Chairperson Carl Spooner stated that the property on the south side of the cemetery at the entrance gate needs to be cleared by the adjacent property owners to allow access into the cemetery from that gate. He believes it to be a public street. Mr. Spooner also commented on how good the cemetery looks and that Forrest Chalmers is doing a great job on keeping it mowed and weeded. Jerry Woehl also commented on how good the cemetery grounds look. III. Discussion and possible action of the Cemetery Advisory Board’s January 26, 2012 minutes. Ted Schaefer moved to approve the January 26, 2012 minutes as written, seconded by Mary Williams and carried unanimously. IV. Discussion and possible action on Grant Funds that the Historical Society has for the Fairview Cemetery. Item was tabled at the January 26, 2012 meeting. Chairperson, Terry Sanders reported that the Historical Society has not determined the amount of funds available. This item was tabled and will be a recurring item on future meeting agendas until the Historical Society can see how much funds are available. V. Discussion and possible action on the fill dirt delivered to Fairview Cemetery. Interim Director of Public Works, Curtis Ervin, stated that twelve loads of dirt were delivered to the undeveloped section in the cemetery. Some of it was used by Public Works staff under his direction to fill in the low areas to make it easier for shred and mowing. Public Works staff also cleared the area area of all trash and debris and separated the large rocks from the dirt. Discussion was held between board members and staff regarding the rocks and remaining dirt. No specific projects were identified for use of the rocks within the Cemetery, so they will be removed by Public Works. The remaining dirt will be utilized as needed throughout the Cemetery to include the backfilling of graves. Karla Stovall noted that it appears that some contractors have already been utilizing the dirt for backfilling and will be encouraged to continue to do such. VI. Discussion and possible action on the proposed Memorial site. Karla Stovall stated that Finance staff had researched the historic maps and cemetery records of the proposed area and did not find any recorded burials or evidence of documented ownership. Discussion was held among board members and staff regarding the size of the area and also the size of the memorials to be placed in Memorial site. The three memorials that are currently in the proposed area were placed under different organizations prior to the City. No decisions were made on the size of the area or monuments to be allowed.  Terry Sanders presented an email, from Ms. Shirley Barber requesting information as to what is required for Ms. Mary Overstreet to place a marker with a “Defender” medallion in the memorial area for Steven Eggleston of whom she is a descendent. Terry Sanders asked for the Board to take a vote on allowing Ms. Overstreet to go ahead and place the memorial in Fairview Cemetery because he feels that due to the time factors involved in developing the area and implementing rules and regulations, Ms. Overstreet will place the memorial in the State Cemetery. Based on the email which is attached, the Board voted unanimously to allow Terry Sanders to oversee Ms. Overstreet’s placement of the monument in the proposed Memorial section in Fairview Cemetery. VII. Public Comment. [ Note: By law, the Board cannot include undertake discussion or take any action on Public Comments received at the meeting, but can: (1) recite Board/City policy on the points raised and/or (2) place items on upcoming agenda for both discussion and action at that upcoming meeting.] There were no public comments. VIII. Discussion and possible action on setting dates and times for next Cemetery Advisory Board meeting(s). It was decided to have the next meeting on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 4:00p.m. IX. Discussion and possible action to determine if there are any items a Board Member would like to place on an upcoming Agenda. Discussion was held to include the following items on the next agenda: 1) Discussion on FY 2013 Budget 2) Discussion on the size of the Memorial area and developing rules and regulations for use of the area 3) Mike Talbot will evaluate and report back on the real estate properties for sale along Highway 95 adjoining the Cemetery properties for possibility of obtaining for future cemetery expansion. X. Adjourn. Ted Schaefer moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:50 p.m., seconded by Carl Spooner and carried unanimously. APPROVED: ATTESTED: ____________________________________ ________________________________ Terry Sanders, Chairperson Mary Williams, Secretary