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, November 30, 2017 Call to Order: Chair Judith Perla called the November 30, 2017 meeting to order at 9:00 am Trustee Members Present: Judith Perla, Diane Ouellette, Andrew Hawthorne, Nancy Maynard Trustee Members Absent: David DeMar Minutes of the Meeting: A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Diane Ouellette to accept the minutes from September 21, 2017. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Diane Ouellette to accept the minutes from a special meeting on October 5, 2017. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Diane Ouellette to accept the minutes from a special meeting on October 11, 2017. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Diane Ouellette to accept the minutes from a special meeting on October 12, 2017. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. A motion made by Diane Ouellette, seconded by Andrew Hawthorne to accept the minutes from a special meeting on October 19, 2017. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. Oral Requests from Audience: None Cemetery Department Report: Report given by Jaquelyn Poirier Forest Hill - Cleaned mausoleum - Cleaned office trailer - Helped with cleaning DPW, and water department - Rubbish removal in cemetery and along bike path - Cleaned graves to keep in specification - Filled in sunken graves - Equipment maintenance - Seeding graves - Winter fertilizer Forest Hill - Grass cutting and trimming - Watering flowers and graves – new section Q - Installed Veteran markers - Fixed water breaks - Removed Shrubs, loam and seeded - Checked flags and Veteran area for Veterans Day - Trimmed trees and shrubs - Flagged graves for monuments - Painted a portion of guard rail along bike path – Bemis Associates – complete in spring - Cleaned wash out of dirt from bike path – columbaria area - Checked and cleaned up storm damage at all cemeteries - Shut down the water for the season - Started leaf clean up - (18) Funerals since last meeting Laurel Hill - Checked and picked up trash - Grass cutting and trimming - Spraying weeds - Trimmed trees and limbs - Installed NO DOG signs at all gates - Refurbished sign completed South Street/West Street & Dean Hill & Hartwell - Checked and picked up trash - Grass cutting and trimming Cemetery Staff - 1 full-time workers - Light Duty - 1 LMEO – 2 days a week - .5 Temporary Summer Help - Help 1 employee from DPW - 1 Superintendent - Volunteers– Bemis Associates 4 days - 1 staff member terminated – working with HR to replace Administration - Applied for Veterans markers in Washington - Met with families at need and pre-need for burials; consult with grieving families - Sales - graves, veterans’ foundations, veterans’ flag holder, brick, cremated remains table rental, columbarium - Arranging clergy for family from out of state - Meeting with family – balance due on grave - Meeting with family on deed issues - Working with HR to have cemetery rules translated into Spanish - Genealogical searches - Secured mausoleum crypt protection for entombment - Meeting with working foreman – winter planning - Adopt a Veteran – processing requests - Meeting with Human Resource Director and Union President – terminated an employee - Attending DPW managers meetings - Working on office trailer contract - Ordered new bench – spring installation - Ordered grave tamper to prevent grave cave-ins - Working on keeping graves in specifications - Working with Police Department Captain Giannini with regards to vandalism at Laurel Hill and needles at Forest Hill - Met with Fence Company – Laurel Hill cemetery – Working with Building Commissioner for fencing requirements - Met with solar company for lighting of flag poles for Forest Hill and Laurel Hill - Met with Monument Company with regard to private mausoleums and columbaria - Coggshall schedule - Working on new cemetery software - Working with Engineering on expansion in section Q - Met with Eagle Scout candidates Moises and Matthew with projects– Laurel Hill informational sign, and Laurel Hill path signage - Master Plan – Two proposals received – Phase II master plan – attended designer selection committee meeting – committee recommended to Purchasing to award contract to Ray Dunetz Landscape Architecture - Met with Vault Company – discussed double depth vaults for new cemetery - Spoke with Dr. David Weiss FSU – working on interns for data entry on cemetery data base - Worked with Veterans group volunteered November 4th – cleaning and raising Veteran markers for Veterans Day - Compiled cemetery capital needs projections for the next 5 to 7 years Old Business: Laurel Hill Fencing – Iron Fencing –The fencing will match the time period of Laurel Hill. A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Diane Ouellette to replace the fencing at Laurel Hill Cemetery that runs parallel with Laurel Street by newly refurbished sign approximately 232 ft of 4’ high black commercial grade ornamental aluminum fence. The cost not to exceed $ 9700.00 to be paid out of perpetual care interest account # 80430 – 545400. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. Forest Hill Paving The Trustees had requested pricing for paving the new Section Q and Section O at Forest Hill Cemetery. Lenny Laakso received the following pricing for paving: Section Q 540 ft x 11 ft for the main road (3) 65 ft. x 11 ft for the three side roads (heading up toward Electric) no grading involved 2” binder $ 14,000.00 Section O 175 ft X 18 ft no grading involved 2” binder $ 5600.00 TOTAL COST $ 19,600.00 A motion made by Andrew Hawthorne, and seconded by Nancy Maynard to pave Section Q and Section O. The cost not to exceed $ 19,600.00 to be paid out of perpetual care interest account # 80430 – 54500. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. Master Plan –Lenny Laakso Commissioner, Nelson Mui Business Manager, Andrew Hawthorne Trustee, Nancy Maynard Trustee, Jaquelyn Poirier Superintendent. Ray Dunetz working pricing issues with ground survey with Lenny Laakso and Engineering. The Trustees want to be updated, and will give two weeks to work out issue. They will set up a Special meeting on December 18th at 9:00 am if need be. The Trustees made the request again to Gary Withington to have test holes dug in the expansion. Trustee want to check area for ledge before we spend too much money to find out we cannot develop. Gary Withington explained he is shorthanded. Section Q Expansion - Waiting for paving and Engineering to finish marking graves. Private Family Mausoleum – Tabled for future – revisit with expansion of cemetery Cemetery Software – Software Demos completed After carefully consideration the board has decided on recommending a software product that will work best for the development of the department. It is cloud based, and has the ability to work with Munis. The front end for the customer will be very helpful for our families finding loved ones, and purchasing graves. A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Andrew Hawthorne to recommend CemSites Software. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. Chair Judith Perla is working with Joan Goodwin, has requested Jaquelyn Poirier come up with job description for data entry on computer. New Business: Rules – Board will revisit rules A motion made by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Diane Ouellette to table rules for future. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. Meeting Schedule 2018: The Trustees have changed the meeting schedule to once a month for 2018, with the following months off July, August, and December. The meetings will be at 9:00 am on the third Thursday of the month. January 18, 2018 February 15, 2018 March 15, 2018 April 19, 2018 May 17, 2018 June 21, 2018 September 20, 2018 October 18, 2018 November 15, 2018 A motion made by Andrew Hawthorne, and seconded by Nancy Maynard to change meeting dates to once a month with no meetings in July, August and December. 4 in favor, 0 opposed – Motion passed. Trustee Appointments – Nancy Maynard is up for re-appointment, she has agreed to stay on board. Chair Judith Perla let board know, there will be an opening if anyone knows someone interesting in serving. Election of Officers – January 18, 2018 the Board will hold annual election of officers. Board will be voting for Chair, Vice Chair, and Clerk Events: Next regular meeting scheduled for Thursday January 18, 2018 at 9:00 am – Cemetery Office A motion made at 11:43 am by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Andrew Hawthorne to adjourn the meeting. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Respectfully submitted, Jaquelyn R. Poirier Distribution: Cemetery Trustees Honorable Stephen DiNatale A. J. Tourigny City Clerk Ward 1 Councilor Amy Green Lenny Laakso, DPW Gary Withington, DPW Calvin Brooks, Auditor Trevor Bonilla, IT Tricia Chabot Peggy Page