Cemetery Commission

CITY OF SALEM MASSACHUSETTS BETH GERARD, CHAIR CEMETERY COMMISSION 98 WASHINGTON STREET - MAILING ADDRESS BOARD MEMBERS KATE HANSON SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS 01970 KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL ANTHONY O’DONNELL TEL. (978)745-0195 JACOB ST. LOUIS MAYOR FAX (978) 741-7041 MINUTES OF THE CEMETERY COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 A meeting of the Salem Cemetery Commission was held on September 21, 2022, at 6:00 p.m., via ZOOM, an online video conference call system. Present on call were: Chair Beth Gerard, Members: Kate Hanson, Jacob St. Louis and Anthony O’Donnell; Raymond Jodoin, Director of Operations and Commission Clerk Joanne Roomey. 1. Approve Cemetery Commission Meeting Minutes for June 15, 2022 Ms. Hanson made a motion to approve the Cemetery Commission Meeting Minutes for June 15, 2022. Seconded by Mr. O’Donnell. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried unanimously. 2. Raymond Jodoin, Director of Operations, Department of Public Services • Interment Activities within the cemetery since the last meeting: o June: 4 burials, 8 cremations, and 8 sales of lots o July: 9 burials, 5 cremations 7 sales of lots and two were veteran’s graves o August: 2 burials, 7 cremations, and 2 sales of lots 3. Greenlawn Master Plan- next steps where do we go from here i.e., open discussion of Greenlawn expansion The Master Plan for the Greenlawn Cemetery has been adopted. The next step is to dissect each section and decide how to move forward as a group. Mr. Jodoin wants to focus on page 69, Expansion Recommendations which includes site maps. He also suggested focusing on page 74, Expansion Expense and Revenue Summary and recommends the cost should be in the projected revenue. Please see link for Master Plan which is on the Cemetery Commissions’ home page https://www.salemma.gov/cemetery- commission 1  Some of master plan pieces will be pulled out and discussed as some of the master plan will need further discussion as those pieces were only touched upon in the final report. 4. Salem Cemetery Dickson Chapel update from the Building Inspector, Thomas St. Pierre, regarding usage Defer to next month, Mr. St. Pierre was not available. 5. Recent thefts of items on gravesites, looking for recommendations of locking pedestrian gates every night at dusk and opening at dawn Mr. Jodoin said there has been recent thefts of items on gravesites. Although he realizes that residents and stakeholders like to walk through the cemeteries after dark, he wanted to know if the commission was in favor of padlocking the pedestrian gate every night at dusk and open at dawn. Right now, there is someone there every day to open and close from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mr. St. Louis was in favor of leaving the gate open. Mr. Jodoin will follow-up with Solicitor Rennard to see if there are any liability issues with leaving the gate closed or open. Once he gets feedback from Solicitor Rennard, he will present it to the commission at the next meeting. 6. Heating system at Dickson Chapel status and recommendations Mr. Jodoin said the heating system at the chapel failed last year in the winter a couple of times. He wanted to consider using the Dickson Trust Fund to replace the oil tank. He wants to be proactive and does not want the situation to get worse. He also suggested keeping the heat on a more consistent temperature and make sure it does not go down to low. 7. Stain glass project for Dickson Chapel update and review Mr. Jodoin will look into this request. He suggested speaking with Christine Lutts from Friends of Greenlawn, she may have more details on the stain glass project for Dickson Chapel. Mr. Jodoin will meet with Patti Kelleher and Dave Knowlton to get ready for the bid. CPA planning was awarding $60K, and Christine Lutts from Friends of Greenlawn made a $10K donation. 20k was set up from the Dickson chapel trust fund to secure Julie Slone services to aid in reviewing work to be done to the stain glass windows at the west side of the building. This service will include bid documents and bid review for project. 8. Dickson Chapel Building Usage Policy Review & Discussion – Vote Defer to next month to wait for Mr. St. Pierre’s opinion. 2 9. Opening discussion regarding the Article III – Greenlawn Cemetery code of ordinances section 16-108 removal of items after reasonable time has elapsed Mr. Jodoin is looking for clarification on Sec. 16-108. - Setting out plants and flowers regarding removing items from gravesites after “reasonable time” has elapsed for planting. DPS does remove items from the cemetery about twice a year. Mr. Jodoin will create a proposal on how many times per year to remove items from gravesites. He wants to open up a conversation together with flyers and posters for awareness to let folks know the procedure on storage of personal belongings and how long to keep them. DPS usually hold things for approximately 21 days. Ms. Gerard will follow-up on that three week hold with the city council. 10. Friends of Greenlawn event: For the Love of Trees IV Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Christine Lutts, from the Friends of Greenlawn Cemetery, will hold an event on September 24, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Mr. Jodoin explained that there is a funeral going on that day and there may be a need for concessions to only use one side of the cemetery. Ms. Lutts agreed to make every effort to make concessions, but she cannot control every person who has access to a public place. 11. Retirement from the Board - Patricia Donohue After ten years with the Cemetery Commission, Patricia Donohue has retired. Ms. Gerard on behalf of the commission wanted to thank her for her contributions and has asked city councilors to send a city seal to acknowledge her for ten years. 12. 15-minute comment from the public Margaret Fleming said a lot of effort has been expended on the Master Plan and specified on page 1. The project goal stunned and disappointed her with no mention of the chapel or arboretum. She wants the commission to take a second look at the recommendations and consider whether the Master plan failed to consider these import attributes to Greenlawn Cemetery. Christine Lutts spoke about the chapel restoration, doors have been restored, two stained glass windows by front door and three on the back, for the abovementioned project 3 13. New Business The commission would like to have Elizabeth Peterson come in give an update on Charter Street’s current condition and overall status. 14. Adjournment: Mr. St. Louis made a motion to adjourn. Seconded by Ms. Hanson. A roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Joanne M. Roomey Commission Clerk Know your rights under the Open Meeting Law M.G.L. c. 30A §18-25 and City Ordinance Sections 2-2028 through 2-2033 4