Trustees of Public Burial Grounds

FITCHBURG CITY CLERK May 19 2023 3:42 pm City of Fitchburg, Massachusetts TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC BURIAL GROUNDS 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, 2023 The Cemetery Trustee Board meeting was held in the West Meeting Room, 1st Floor at City Hall, 718 Main Street. An online link and phone number were provided for those who wished to participate remotely. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Perla called the meeting to order at 9:01 am. Trustees Present: J. Perla, A. Hawthorne, M. Sciabarrasi and new Trustee George M. Mirijanian. Others Present: N. Erickson, DPW Commissioner, Susan Navarre, Director of Fitchburg Historical Society/Stratton Players, Francis Richards for Mulch for Military Project and Russell Karlstad Director of Facilities for Fitchburg. Present Remotely: J. Poirier, Cemetery Superintendent Public Forum: No one was present, either in person or remotely, wishing to speak. #1. Review and Approval of Meeting Minutes: A. Hawthorne made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of February 16, 2023… Michelle Sciabarrasi seconded. All in favor to approve minutes. Motion passed. #2. Cemetery Department Report Cemetery Department Report 3/16/2023 & 4/13/2023- Progress report given by Jaquelyn Poirier Forest Hill Routine maintenance of grounds - Cleaned graves to comply with specifications - Pick up down limbs from all cemeteries - Maintenance – lawn mowers, equipment, backhoe and trucks - Plowed and shoveled snow - Started spring clean up - Continued training of employee in backhoe - Lot training - Oil service T-26 - T-27 Repairs completed from accident 3.24.2023  - Cleaned catch basins for drainage - (2) Grounds crew attended Massachusetts Cemetery Seminar INTERMENTS 4 INURNMENTS 4 UP RIGHTED MONUMENTS UNCOVERED FLAT MONUMENTS MONUMENT FOUNDATION MARKING/PHOTOS 11 CATCH BASIN REPAIR/CLEAN FILLED SINK HOLES 11 TRIMMED TREES Many due to storms TRIMMED SHRUBS PHONE/OUTSIDE MEETINGS WITH FAMILIES 61 PAYMENTS - INVOICED/PROCESSED 72 FAMILY GENEALOGY 32 Laurel Hill, South Street, West Street & Dean Hill & Hartwell Clean-up downed limbs Fixed fence South Street Cemetery Staff - 4 Full-Time Workers - 1 Superintendent - (5) Summer help positions opened Administration Routine administration tasks - Cemetery Software – meeting with CompuTemps – adding additional information gathered in database - Ordered flag holders for Memorial Day - (2) Meetings with Lunenburg Board of Trustee member  - Assisting on end of life services for disabled individual - Coordinating with Brothers in Blue – information - Graves on hold – follow up calls - Meeting with Engineering – Memorial Gardens – edits on graves – final layout before area is available for sale late spring/early summer. Engineering working on how we track available graves - Columbarium expansion – Engineering will survey to get accurate existing conditions of topographic layout – With this information it will help with size and shape of new Columbarium unit - Spring planning - Local 170 laborers retro - Meeting with staff – phone policy Started spring clean-up 2023 – Training in backhoe rel Hill Tree Removal after storm 3.22.2023  Pole Accident 4-6-2023– Removal – cut for pavement – DPW paved Motion was made to approve Superintendent’s Report by G. Mirijanian and seconded by A Hawthorn…all in favor…motion passed. Superintendent's Report was approved. #3. Letter to Rep Kushmerek…in speaking to Mayor DiNatale on 3/5/2023 about this issue the Mayor informed me he did ask Rep Kushmerek to include support for funding for the Cemetery Department in the State”s Spring Budget. #4. Russell Karlstad Director of Facilities informed the Trustees there is a site walk of the Mausoleum being held on April 18, 2023 at 10 AM for the Operator Project Manager( OPM) to view the Mausoleum. This is the first step in the renovation of the Mausoleum. #5. A permit was granted to Stratton Players in coordination with the Fitchburg Historical Society to hold the event for Brothers in Blue -- from the Battlefront to Main Street --A Salute to Civil War Veterans who served in the Fitchburg Police Department. Scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 6:30PM at Forest Hill Cemetery. Rain date for Wednesday, June 14, 2023. Free Admission. All are welcome. #6. Mulch for Military project was represented by Mr. Francis Richard to the Trustees. Mr. Richard provided the Trustees with a sample of the Memorial Guard for the flat veterans stones. The Trustees had many questions on the project and there was much discussion. The Trustees thanked Mr. Richard for the presentation and are taking this project under advisement. The Trustees will have an answer for Mr. Richard by our next meeting. #7,8,9. Rules & Regulations, Price List, Sale of Lots and payment schedule & time frame are still being worked on by Superintendent Poirier. Supt. Poirier has reached out to other cemeteries about their payment schedules and the possibility of accepting credit card payments, etc. #10. Memorial Day Preparations are being taken care of by the cemetery crew. Supt. Poirier will contact former Trustee Diane Ouellette to see if she and her friends will continue to place flags at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Otherwise our cemetery crew will take care of the flag placement. Now that most veterans graves have the Flag Holders the Trustees have purchased it is easier to locate the graves. Also, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have always helped out with the flag placements, so Supt. Poirier will contact them as well. As always we thank the Scouts for their willingness to help. Events: The next regular meeting will be held on Thursday, May 18,2023 at 9 AM in the West Meeting Room at City Hall, 718 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 11:04 AM. Minutes of this and all other meetings can be view on the City of Fitchburg website under http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us Government - Meetings and Agendas - Trustees of Public Burial Grounds Respectfully submitted, Judith A. Perla Chair/Clerk, Trustees of Public Burial Grounds