Oakland Cemetery Commission

Russellville Oakland Cemetery Commission Minutes February 21, 2017 The Russellville Oakland Cemetery Commission met for the regular meeting on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, at 5:30 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Conference Room. Attending: Director Stephanie Warwick, City Attorney Trey Smith, Chairman/Commissioner Mindy Hudson, Vice Chairman/Commissioner David Lee, Commissioner/Secretary Rebecca Howell, Commissioner Patricia Petray, City Council Liaison Eric Westcott, and visitor Sean Ingram from The Courier. Absent: City Finance Director Jerry McKaughan, City Council Liaison Mark Tripp, Commissioner Cindy Hlass, and Commissioner Cecelia Slone. The meeting was called to order by Chairman Mindy Hudson at 5:34 p.m. Old Business: The First Order of Business was to review and approve the minutes from the January 17, 2017, Cemetery Regular Meeting. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Liaison Westcott. This was seconded by Commissioner Petray, and the minutes were unanimously approved. The Second Order of Business was a presentation of the Financial Report. Finance Director McKaughan was unable to attend the meeting. Chairman Hudson read the 1/31/17 Account balances shown in our packet, as follows: Total Liabilities and Fund Balance is $65,712.63, and the Schwab Account is $129,161.72. Liaison Westcott raised the question as to whether the Cemetery is self sustaining, and City Attorney Smith directed our attention to the Statement of Revenues and Expenditures (Fund 24 - Russellville Oakland Cemetery) for January 2017, noting the $40,000.00 transfer from the City. Thus, the City provides about 57% funding based on the 2017 budget. Commissioner Petray made a motion to accept the report. Vice Chairman Lee seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. The Third Order of Business was not addressed. This had been planned as a time to open the floor to the Public to address concerns/suggestions; however, there were no visitors in attendance. The Fourth Order of Business was the Monthly Operations Report given by Director Warwick. She reported that operations of the cemetery have been normal. Decoration Day is set for Sunday, May 7 at 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., and Commissioners are encouraged to attend this community service event. Since the month of May is Military Appreciation Month, Director Warwick is hoping to schedule two tours (about 30 minutes in length) that will feature histories of Veterans. Suggested dates are the afternoons of Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 28. Director Warwick has created a new pamphlet for Russellville Oakland Cemetery, and it has photos, maps, contact information, and the poem "This is a Cemetery". She gave one to each of us, and it received "Great" reviews. This pamphlet can be changed throughout the year to add information about upcoming events, histories of Founding Fathers and Veterans, and other pertinent information. Another new printed item is the '2016 Annual Report of Russellville Oakland Cemetery'. Director Warwick prepared this at the request of Mayor Horton, and she passed around one copy of it. It looked very impressive. During our discussion about the cemetery, six items regarding the grounds were mentioned : (1) the sucker tree near our Columbarium is still being worked on, (2) a few speed bumps are loose, (3) the drainage ditch needs to be cleaned out, (4) whether the new watering system for plants near the Columbarium is in place yet, (5) two dowels are needed to hold the plate by the flag pole, and (6) two arches (Drives I and III on 11th St.) still need to be finished. Regarding item (4) above, Director Warwick will ask Former Chairman Steuber about this. Vice Chairman Lee made a motion for Director Warwick to use her own judgment in paying for the repair of the plate for the flag pole. Chairman Hudson seconded the motion, and all approved. Chairman Hudson thanked Director Warwick for all she is doing. The Fifth Order of Business was not addressed. It was the presentation tabled from the January 17, 2017, Cemetery Meeting regarding the breakdown of average of time and duties for selling plots. Liaison Westcott requested to remove it from this agenda and put it on a future agenda. New Business: The First Order of New Business was a report from the Director about Norristown Cemetery, located off Old Post Road near the industrial plant. She has been researching the old cemetery, and a survey has just been completed. In question is whether or not land leased by the City of Russellville encompasses the cemetery, and if it is the responsibility of the City to maintain this cemetery. Director Warwick recently learned that the City is the owner of Norristown Cemetery. A non-profit organization that gives grants to city-owned cemeteries on the National Historic Register brought this to her attention. Following Liaison Westcott's motion to adjourn, seconded by Vice-Chairman Lee, Chairman Hudson declared the meeting adjourned at 6:07 p.m.