Trustees of Public Burial Grounds

FITCHBURG CITY CLERK Sep 15 2023 10:06 am 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 June 22, 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 9:00 am. Trustees Present: J. Perla, M. Sciabarrasi,G Mirijanian. A. Hawthorn was not present. Others Present: Russell Karlstad Director of Facilities for Fitchburg, Petros V. Davos, Project Manager for ANSER, Nick Erickson, DPW Commissioner. 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: G. Mirijanian made a motion to approve the meeting minutes of May 18, 2023… Michelle Sciabarrasi seconded. All in favor to approve minutes. Motion passed. #2. Cemetery Department Report 6/22/2023 - 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 - Removed all Mulch for Military Guards - Installed Veteran flag holders, markers and memorial guards - Installed memorial bricks – Columbarium area - Removed shrubs - Replaced American flags on poles - Installed Veteran flags – Dean Hill, West Street, Hartwell and South Street cemeteries INTERMENTS 4  INURNMENTS 8 UP RIGHTED MONUMENTS UNCOVERED FLAT MONUMENTS MONUMENT FOUNDATION 14 MARKING/PHOTOS CATCH BASIN REPAIR/CLEAN FILLED SINK HOLES 11 TRIMMED TREES TRIMMED SHRUBS PHONE/OUTSIDE MEETINGS WITH 89 FAMILIES PAYMENTS - INVOICED/PROCESSED 46 FAMILY GENEALOGY 42 Cemetery Staff - 4 Full-Time Workers - 1 Superintendent - 2 summer help Administration Routine administration tasks - Cemetery Software – weekly meetings with CompuTemps - Working on end of fiscal year procedures - Met with Builtwell Fence at Laurel Hill – installation directions - Request for Podium – Memorial Gardens - Meetings with Engineering – Memorial Gardens -final layout before area is available for sales. Working on numbering graves – waiting on paving contract for paving roads - Engineering also working on how we track available graves (maps) - Helped & attended Brother in Blue – Civil War program with Police – June 13th - Coordinated with Memorial School Tour – May 25th - Meeting with Mr. Richard – Mulch for Military – removal of guards - Sent thank you to all who helped with Memorial Day flags – Monty Tech football team, Boy Scouts Pack & Troop # 41, FHS ROTC Boy Scouts Troop & Pack # 41 – 6.25.2023 FHS ROTC – 6.25.2023 Monty Tech Football Team – 6.25.2023 Memorial School Tour 6.25.2023  Brothers in Blue 6.13.2023 In addition to the Superintendent’s report there are now 34 graves already sold in the new Memorial Gardens section of the cemetery. #3. Russell Karlstad, Director of Facilities… introduced Petros V. Davos project manager from ANSER who will be working as the OPM for the Mausoleum…aka Fitchburg Forest Hill Abbey. Mr. Davos presented the Trustees with a agenda going forward and he also did a site review of the Abbey. The Trustees are very pleased to see this project finally getting the attention it so desperately needs. #4. Rep Kushmerek and the State Budget. 5/25/23, 12:18 PM Amendment #437 to H.3900 Forest Hills Cemetery Mr. Kushmerek of Fitchburg moves to amend the bill in Section 2, in line item 2810-0122, by adding at the end thereof the following: "; provided further not less than $35,000 shall be expended to the City of Fitchburg for the expansion of the Forest Hills Cemetery." and in said item by striking out the figures “$100,000" and inserting in place thereof the figures “$135,000”. This was rejected by the House. #5. Memorial Day Preparations.. Thank you letters were sent out to the various groups that help place the flags in the cemeteries for Memorial Day. #6. The Brothers in Blue Walking Tour held on June 13, 2023 had an attendance of 25-30 people in spite of the rain. This tour was in honor of the Civil War Veterans who joined the Fitchburg Police Department on their return home from war. Thank you to the Fitchburg Cultural Council & Fitchburg Historical Society in providing this tour and information to the citizens of Fitchburg. #7 Request for Podium.. Trustees were provided with the design of the podium. After much discussion on this matter a unanimous vote was taken to allow the purchase of the podium and for it to be placed in the Memorial Garden area at Forest Hill Cemetery, however,the Trustees would like the family to donate the money to the cemetery department and Supt. Poirier will handle the purchase of the podium as she has done with other purchases and donations. #8. Mulch for Military. Chair Perla sent an email to Mr. Richard and thanked him for his concerns and efforts to help with the veteran markers. However, the cemetery has a program in place to do just that and the Trustees feel this is adequate. The cemetery personnel removed the markers and they were pick up by Mr. Richard. Events: The next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 14,2023 at 9 AM in the West Meeting Room at City Hall, 718 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420. The Trustees will not meet during the months of July and August. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 10:23 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