Trustees of Public Burial Grounds

City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts 115 Mt. Elam Road Fitchburg, MA 01420 Office: 978-345-9578 FAX: 978-345-9686 www.fitchburgma.gov CEMETERY TRUSTEE BOARD MEETING MINUTES Thursday, April 16, 2015 Call to Order: Chairman Philip Jordan called the April 16, 2015 meeting to order at 9:00 am Trustee Members Present: Philip Jordan, Donna Coco, Joe Coco and Diane Ouellette Trustee Members Absent: None Minutes of the Meeting: A motion made by Donna Coco, and seconded by Joe Coco to accept the minutes from February 26, 2015. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Oral Requests from Audience: None Cemetery Department Report: Report given by Jaquelyn Poirier Forest Hill - Cleaning up from winter - General maintenance, rubbish collection - Cleaned mausoleum - Organized and cleaned garage - Tree & limb cutting - Filled sunken graves - Repairing damaged stones from winter - Painted and replaced trash can posts - Opened drains - Repaired white posts damaged during winter - (10) Funerals since last meeting Laurel Hill - Checked and picked up trash South Street/West Street & Dean Hill - Checked and picked up trash Cemetery Staff - 1 full-time workers; 1 full time parks employee, 1 DPW employee as needed - Disabled list 1 SMEO and 1 LMEO - 1 Summer Temporary part time started today for (3) half days a week - 1 Student in Transition -2 half days - 1 Superintendent - Prisoners and Community Service when available Administration - Revolving Account – Balance $ 63,675.06 (last report on 2.26.2015 balance $ 63,465.21) - Applied for Veterans markers in Washington - Consult with grieving families - Working with Trustees on Rules and Regulations - Met with Trustees and Commissioner on FY16 budget - Sales - graves, veterans’ foundations, veterans’ flag holder, brick, cremated remains table rental, columbarium - Genealogical searches - Columbarium Expansion- Bid awarded to Hardy Doric Inc. for the price of $ 18, 860.00 – waiting for spring – DPW will be working with cemetery for installation – Engineering Gary Bevilacqua completed layout of units 2 &3 - Held training program for all cemeteries in this area on March 5, 2015 at Coggshall Stonehouse - Modify frost remover – weld extensions on edges – need to schedule with DPW - Attending DPW managers meeting - Attended Massachusetts Cemetery Association annual meeting - Serving on Board for Massachusetts Cemetery Association - Received scholarship to attend ICCFA University in Memphis, Tennessee on July 17 – 22, 2015 Land Management and Grounds Operations - Completed employee performance evaluations - Expansion section D Ordered 200 aluminum number markers Spoke with Engineering questioned max slope, pin area after loam and seed – Set meeting with Gary Bevilacqua for Thursday April 23rd Graves to face East Met with David Crispin from BSC Group– Master Plan – David Crispin he submitted a proposal in a conceptual manner for the Trustees to look at. (Available upon request) Trustee decided not to move forward with proposal. - Ordered more cocoa mats and pads for winter graves - Met with Tree Warden on 2 trees that need to be removed - Assisting Leominster Cemetery Department - Processing temporary summer help for cemetery and parks - Water sample in process for the columbaria area – this is to try to identify the source of the high ground water - Preparing for spring and Memorial Day - Prisoners scheduled for 3 days the week of May 11th and May 18th, 19th, and 20th to help prepare for Memorial Day - Community Service scheduled for May 8th and 12th - In the Spring will be working with expansion of section D along Electric Ave – DPW will help with grading and Engineering will help with layout. Price Comparison from area Cemeteries Cemetery Total $ Full M-F Total $ Full Sat Total $ CR M-F Total $ CR Sat Ashburnham $1,100.00 $1,400.00 $250.00 $400.00 Forest Hill R $1,550.00 $1,675.00 $900.00 $1,000.00 Forest Hill NR $1,750.00 $1,875.00 $1,000.00 $1,100.00 Forest niche $1,175.00 $1,275.00 Gardner $1,250.00 $1,500.00 $900.00 $975.00 St. Bernard's $1,900.00 $2,125.00 $1,500.00 $1,625.00 Evergreen R $1,300.00 $1,425.00 $650.00 $750.00 Evergreen NR $1,600.00 $1,725.00 $650.00 $750.00 Hope * $2,000.00 $2,600.00 $1,550.00 $1,750.00 Lunenburg $600.00 n/a $400.00 n/a St. Leo's $1,700.00 $1,800.00 $1,150.00 $1,250.00 St. Joseph $1,975.00 $2,250.00 $1,275.00 $1,425.00 St. Joseph niche $1,300.00 $1,400.00 Townsend $1,175.00 $1,250.00 $502.00 $825.00 * 2013 Prices Old Business: Rollstone Fence Repair at Forest Hill – Gary Withington will have top rail delivered this week Mausoleum Roof Update –bids documents at purchasing department it should be advertised soon (maybe week April 29th) Work still projected for this year. Columbaria Expansion - Once area is flagged Jaquelyn Poirier will notify Trustees, so they can look at placement of new units for approval. Web Site –Joe Coco unable to get full access to website to make corrections Cemetery New Software – Jaquelyn will get back a few dates for demo of software on a Tuesday or Thursday Cemetery Mapping – Joe and Donna Coco are adding history. Memorial School students will use maps to place flags on graves for Memorial Day. Donna Coco, Philip Jordan, Diane Ouellette, Jaquelyn Poirier will have an on-grounds walk through with maps. Adopt -A-Veteran – New program to have individuals adopt a Veteran, and purchase a Veteran’s flag holder. A list of Veterans needing flag holders will be generated from maps after walk through Rules & Regulations – Revised Rules & Regulations (Available upon request) A motion was made by Diane Ouellette, and seconded by Donna Coco to approve the revised Rules and Regulations. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Perpetual Care Expendable Interest – Trustee would like totals of accounts. Rosa Brown need to know how much money is available and more information on criteria for disbursement of funds. New Business: Trustee approval – Donald Lassila The Board thanked Donald Lassila for all of his efforts with the Cemetery department in the past, especially in Laurel Hill. Donald has spent numerous hours, even years helping the City of Fitchburg. Donald Lassila has served on the Board of Trustees in past. A motion was made by Donna Coco, and seconded by Joe Coco to recommend Donald Lassila as a Trustee of Public Cemeteries. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Security Laurel Hill – Philip Jordan showed the Trustees a Bushnell night vision camera. DPW can make signs with premises under surveillance to be placed at all entrances at Laurel Hill. Trustees will look into equipment and different options after Memorial Day. Meeting schedule 2015: June 18, 2015 September 17, 2015 November 19, 2015 The meeting scheduled for May 21, 2015 has been cancelled. The Memorial School Students will be in Forest Hill to help with flags for Memorial Day. Events: Memorial Day - May 20, 2015 – Laurel Hill – 1:00 to 4:30 – Diane & Leo Ouellette, Tricia Chabot, Donna Coco, Philip Jordan and AMVETS May 21, 2015 – 5th Grade Memorial Students will help with flags - Jaquelyn Poirier will have tent and chairs and water set up for students and teachers May 21, 2015 – AMVETS & Trustees May 22, 2015 – AMVETS & Trustees Next meeting scheduled for June 18, 2015 at 9:00 am – at Cemetery Office A motion made at 10:15 pm by Joe Coco, and seconded by Donna Coco to adjourn the meeting. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Respectfully submitted, Jaquelyn R. Poirier Distribution: Cemetery Trustees Honorable Mayor Lisa A. Wong Nate LaRose City Clerk Ward 1 Councilor Amy Green Lenny Laakso, DPW Gary Withington, DPW Tricia Chabot Diane & Leo Ouellette Peggy Page Donald Lassila Joy Contois