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, May 17, 2018 Call to Order: Chair Judith Perla called the May 17, 2018 meeting to order at 8:56 a.m. Trustee Members Present: Judith A. Perla, Diane R. Ouellette, Andrew J. Hawthorne, Andrienne G. Clark, Nancy Maynard Others Present: Jaquelyn R. Poirier – Cemetery Superintendent, Gary Withington – Superintendent of Streets Approval of Meeting Minutes: A motion was made by Andrienne Clark, and seconded by Andrew Hawthorne, to accept the minutes from the board meeting on April 19, 2018. 5 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Public Forum: There was no one present wishing to speak. General Discussion of Cemeteries: Judith Perla expressed concerns about the fasteners on the new black chain link fence that was installed along the Mt. Elam Road side of the cemetery. Some of these fasteners are not holding the chain link up properly and are coming loose and breaking easily. The Trustees would like the fence company to be contacted to remedy this problem. Three badly damaged gravestones from Laurel Hill Cemetery were sent out to be repaired. In previous years, former trustee Phil Jordon devoted his time and expertise to repairing damaged stones at Laurel Hill. He has graciously offered to hold a training session for cemetery personnel to learn the process to properly repair these older stones. Eagle Scout Matthew Sadowski, of Troop 41, has been installing the new path signs at Laurel Hill Cemetery. The Cemetery Department is providing the cement he is using to anchor the signs in the ground. He expects to complete his project by Memorial Day. The new fencing at Laurel Hill has been installed on the Laurel St. side of the cemetery, and the fencing on the Franklin St. side has been repaired. Cemetery Department Report 5/17/2018- Progress report given by Jaquelyn Poirier Forest Hill - Cleaned mausoleum - Cleaned office trailer - Spring cleaning - Helped with cleaning DPW, and water department - Rubbish removal in cemetery and along bike path - Thatched and Fertilized - Cleaned graves to keep in specification - Equipment and vehicle maintenance - Seeded winter graves - Watering newly seeded graves and flowers - Planted flowers in planters for season - Mulched flower beds - Turned on water for season - Training new employees - Prisoners cleaned walking path - Up righted (7) stones - Removed shrubs for burial - (11) Funerals since last meeting Laurel Hill - Cleaned debris around cemetery - Cleaned up trash - Installed (3) new signs per Trustees - Fixed fence on Franklin Street side - New fence on Laurel Street side installed South Street/West Street & Dean Hill & Hartwell - Cleaned up trash Cemetery Staff - 3 full-time worker - Light Duty - 1 LMEO – 2 days a week - 3 temporary summer help - 1 Superintendent 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 - Working on end of year projections - Working with Mayor’s Chief of Staff on price list change - Working with family on mausoleum crypt ownership - Genealogical searches - Transferred lot ownership Page 2 of 5 - Attended DPW managers meetings - Coggshall schedule - Working with Purchasing Agent on office trailer sent specs to start process - Memorial Day Prep - Ordered flags for Forest Hill and Laurel Hill - Interviews for summer help positions in cemetery and parks - Training/ Processing new employees - Meeting with Eagle Scout – path signage at Laurel Hill - New Eagle Scout – looking to set up meeting to discuss projects with scout - Meeting with police with regards to utilizing an old police vehicle for cemetery department - Meeting with Fence Company – working on quote for next section of fence installation at Laurel Hill - Working with Engineering on potential new graves on Rollstone side of Forest Hill - Working with Engineering – drainage behind columbaria area – cost estimate is $ 60 K – unsure of funding at this point Old Business: Forest Hill Master Plan B Phase 2 Ray Dunetz is awaiting test pit results from Engineering and logs from the Board of Health before moving forward on the plan. Memorial Day Preparations The press release will be published in the Sentinel in the next few days. There will be two portable toilets to accommodate the volunteers, and light refreshments will be available at the office. The JROTC from Monty Tech will send two buses of cadets, one to Laurel Hill, and one to Forest Hill, at 11:30 a.m. Volunteers are scheduled to arrive at Forest Hill at 3 p.m. These will include the ROTC from Fitchburg High School, Boy Scout Troop 41, the Amvets, and individual Veterans. Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale will arrive at Forest Hill at 3 p.m. Price Increase for Burial Grounds The price changes that were approved by the board have been submitted to the Mayor’s office. The Mayor’s Chief of Staff, A.J. Tourigny is working on the next step in the process to finalize the changes. Rosa H. Brown Fund A letter from the Cemetery Trustees to the City Treasurer and City Auditor, requesting Trustee access to the Rosa H. Brown Fund, was hand-delivered by Judith Perla to the City Treasurer on May 1, 2018. (Copy available upon request). At this time, no response has been received. Office Intern Update Summer intern currently working in the office. Page 3 of 5 Software Update Jaquelyn Poirier is still trying to set up a meeting with IT to finalize details for purchase of the new CemSites cemetery software that was chosen by the board in December of 2017. The trustees are dissatisfied with the delay in the process of purchasing the new software. They feel that too much time has passed, and it may be necessary to obtain a new price quote from CemSites. FY19 Budget Update Trustees reviewed the Mayor’s FY19 Cemetery Department budget which will be presented to the City Council for approval. (Copy available upon request). New Business: Cemetery Rules & Regulations update The board discussed several possible changes of the cemetery rules. A motion was made by Andrienne Clark, and seconded by Nancy Maynard, to table this discussion until the next board meeting. 5 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Remarks and Comments from Trustees: Chair Judith Perla reminded everyone that next month’s meeting will be the last one before the summer break. Events: Placing of Veterans flags for Memorial Day is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. at Laurel Hill, and 3:00 p.m. at Forest Hill on Thursday, May 24, 2018. The next regular meeting will be held on Thursday, June 21, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. at the Cemetery Office. Meeting Schedule 2018: September 20, 2018 October 18, 2018 November 15, 2018 Adjournment: A motion was made at by Nancy Maynard, and seconded by Andrienne Clark, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Diane R. Ouellette Clerk, Trustees of Public Burial Grounds Page 4 of 5 Distribution: Cemetery Trustees A.J. Tourigny, Mayor’s Chief of Staff Jaquelyn R. Poirier, Cemetery Superintendent Anna M. Farrell, City Clerk Lenny Laakso, Commissioner of Public Works Amy Green, Ward 1 Councilor Gary Withington, Superintendent of Streets Tricia Chabot Honorable Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale Peggy Page Page 5 of 5