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 21, 2019 Call to Order: Chair Judith A. Perla called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m. Trustee Members Present: Judith A. Perla, Diane R. Ouellette, Andrienne G. Clark, Andrew Hawthorne Trustee Members Absent: Nancy Maynard Others Present: Jaquelyn R. Poirier – Cemetery Superintendent Public Forum: No one was present wishing to speak. Approval of Meeting Minutes: Chairperson Perla asked for clarification on several items in the Superintendent’s report contained in last month’s minutes. After a short discussion, a motion was made by Andrienne Clark, and seconded by Andrew Hawthorne, to approve the minutes from the board meeting held on October 17, 2019. 4 in favor, 0 opposed - Motion passed. Minutes approved. Staff Reports: Cemetery Department Report 11/21/2019- Progress report given by Jaquelyn Poirier Forest Hill Routine maintenance of grounds mowing, trimming, leaf clean up, trash, keeping graves to specifications - Picked up Veteran flags for the season - Installed Veteran flag holders in section 1 &2 - Completed water shut down for the season - Fertilized Forest Hill  INTERMENTS 12 UP RIGHTED MONUMENTS 100 + UNCOVERED FLAT MONUMENTS 0 MONUMENT FOUNDATION MARKING 6 CATCH BASIN REPAIR 0 FILLED SINK HOLES 0 TRIMMED TREES 0 TRIMMED SHRUBS 0 MEETINGS WITH FAMILIES 17 PAYMENTS - INVOICED/PROCESSED 40 FAMILY GENEALOGY 17 Laurel Hill - Last grass cut and trim of season, working on leaf clean up, up righted stones and walls with prisoners South Street/West Street & Dean Hill & Hartwell - Last grass cut and trim of season, working on leaf clean up Cemetery Staff - 3 full-time workers - Light Duty - 1 LMEO – 1 1/2 days a week - (1) Temporary Summer Help – working on GPS - 1 Superintendent Administration - Applied for Veterans markers in Washington - Met with families at need and pre-need for burials; consult with grieving families, ownership rights of lots, transfer of graves, collection calls, genealogical searches - Sales - graves, veterans’ foundations, veterans’ flag holder, brick, cremated remains table rental, columbarium - Coggshall schedule – including scheduling and schedule changes with recreation department, ordering supplies -Working with Purchasing – contract signed and completed 5 year lease - Working on RFP – Re-bid Software due to lack of qualified bids to evaluate - Meeting with Purchasing and Police department fraudulent home depot charges - Meeting with Engineering in columbaria area – high water table –monitoring wells –An additional wick in process of being added to lower water table –Engineering will continue to monitor wells and will have a clear picture in the spring of how many graves area will support. (see projected graves map) - Working on building leaks at Mausoleum –Found that exterior limestone block wall needs repointing – water is getting through gaps in mortar. Mason is scheduled for site visit on November 22, 2019 - DPW Commissioner and Engineering working on GIS map of potential cemetery sites. Identifying 7 + acre lots – in process - working on criteria – access to lots, any wetland issues, grades of land - Meeting with Engineering and CompuTemps -GIS mapping at Forest Hill, South Street, Dean Hill, West Street, Hartwell and Laurel Hill in process - Working with Eagle Scout – new project path signs Forest Hill - Meeting with monument dealer – monument placement rules - Meeting with funeral provider transitional assistance rules - Attended finance meeting – funding Laurel Hill fencing phase II Page 2 of 5 Laurel Hill - Before Laurel Hill - After Laurel Hill – Before Laurel Hill – After Old Business: RFP for Cemetery Software – Due to a lack of qualified bids, the Request for Proposals for cemetery management software was re-advertised on November 18, 2019, with bids due on December 5, 2019. Forest Hill Master Plan B – Phase 2 – DPW Commissioner Bosonetto and Engineering are still working on GIS map of potential cemetery sites. Work is continuing in the columbarium area, with engineering monitoring the wells and installing an additional wick to help lower the water table. Trustees reviewed a map of potential roadways and graves planned for this area if the water table becomes low enough to support burials. There will be no definitive answer on this until next spring. Page 3 of 5 Mausoleum Repairs Update – The mason will visit the mausoleum on November 22nd to evaluate the scope of the work needed and estimate the cost of the entire repointing project. Repairs at Laurel Hill Cemetery – The cemetery crew, working with prisoners, has uprighted many of the damaged walls and downed stones within Laurel Hill. Trustees discussed the need to be more proactive in preventing wall collapses and would like to put needed repairs on a regular maintenance schedule. Reappointment letters – Andrienne Clark and Diane Ouellette have both submitted letters to the Mayor’s office requesting to be reappointed as Trustees. Historical Commission Update – Trustees will be attending a meeting of the Fitchburg Historical Commission at 3 p.m. today to apprise the commission of plans to seek historic status for our cemeteries and ask for their direction and support in this endeavor. New Business: Safety in Cemeteries and Lights in Laurel Hill - An article from the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, dated September 25, 2019, noted that there had been a federal investigation into the illegal sale of “ghost guns” in one of our cemeteries. This, along with vandalism and other illegal activities has highlighted the need to make our cemeteries safer for both employees and the public. Trustees discussed various options for Laurel Hill Cemetery, including more lighting and video surveillance. Superintendent Poirier suggested looking into the use of WiFi cameras as an option. December Meeting – There will be no regular meeting next month due to the holiday break. Events: The next regular meeting will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. at the Cemetery Office. Adjournment: A motion was made by Diane Ouellette, and seconded by Andrienne Clark, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed, 4 in favor, 0 opposed and the meeting was adjourned at 10:59 a.m. Meeting Schedule 2020: January 16, 2020 February 20, 2020 March 19, 2020 April 16, 2020 May 21, 2020 June 18, 2020 September 17, 2020 October 15, 2020 November 19, 2020 Respectfully submitted, Diane R. Ouellette Clerk, Trustees of Public Burial Grounds Page 4 of 5 Distribution: Cemetery Trustees Mary de Alderete, Incoming City Clerk Jaquelyn R. Poirier, Cemetery Superintendent Susan A. Davis, Director of Human Resources Nicolas H. Bosonetto, Commissioner of Public Works Amy Green, Ward 1 Councilor Gary Withington, Superintendent of Streets Tricia Chabot Honorable Mayor Stephen L. DiNatale Peggy Page A.J. Tourigny, Mayor’s Chief of Staff Page 5 of 5