Cemetery Board

Village of South Amherst Board of Cemetery Trustees Meeting 9/14/2022 Rosemary Leshinski called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm Board Members present: Rosemary Leshinski, Marilyn Makruski Village Council: Scott Jones Visitors: Mayor Leshinski; Emil Ruth of GoGreen Landscaping,461 E. Lorain St., Oberlin, OH Agenda Rosemary Leshinski asked if there were any additions to the agenda. Paula Knodel added the discussion of Harris letter and review of her task list. Marylin Makruski moved to accept the agenda with the addition. Rosemary Leshinski seconded. The roll was called in favor. Meeting Minutes Rosemary Leshinski moved to accept the minutes from the July 13, 2022. Marylin Makruski seconded. The roll was called in favor. Visitors Emil Ruth – GoGreen is ready to pour footers and install military markers the week of September 16, 2022. Rosemary and Marylin have marked the footer locations. Reference “Old Business” below for drainage project notes. Emil offered to set a date to walk through the cemetery grounds with Davis Valentine to identify and straighten markers. Reporting – Financial and Other UAN Financial Reports for June 2022 were presented for review. Ref. Exhibit A. Paula Knodel presented the current list of burials and lot sales for 2022. Ref Exhibit B. Rosemary Leshinski moved to accept the presentation of these reports. Marylin Makruski seconded. The roll was called in favor. Installment Payment Report – All payments are current except for the Tuttle contract signed in May 2022. No further payments have been made. Paula has called several times to follow-up. Board advised sending a letter. If no payments received this year, the contract should be cancelled in January Ohio Department of Commerce Grant – Notification was received that the cemetery has been granted $2,500 to be used towards the development of a second entrance. Paula will follow up with final paperwork and reporting back to them. Harris Letter - The Board advised Paula to send a thank you letter to the Harris family for the grave they are donating in Section A. The grave will not be used as it is in the oldest section of the cemetery. Open Work Items – Paula Knodel gave a brief overview of what she has on her current work list.. She was reminded to follow-up on Mr. Oetzel’s military marker replacement. Old Business Cemetery Drainage Project – Currently this project is on hold until the clearing of Ludwig Ditch is resolved. Paula Knodel, as representative of Cemetery Board, met twice with the Water Board regarding the cleaning of Ludwig Ditch. The Water Board does not have the time or manpower to make the cleaning of this ditch a priority until possibly 2024. Paula Knodel volunteered to become the “point person” on this issue and the Water Board approved. She lives on Fern Street and her property and sees the flooding issues caused by this ditch not being cleared out. She will be copying member of both the Water Board and the Cemetery Board on correspondence regarding this project. Village Worker - David Valentine could not attend this meeting. Paula will follow up with an email to him regarding the status of his work at Evergreen. He needs to have the military markers moved from townhall to the cemetery for installation next week. He will need to be sure the Gator is parked at the cemetery for use next week. Methodist Church – A letter was delivered to the United Methodist Church regarding the plans for creating a second entrance to the cemetery. The board is pleased to have received a $2,500 grant to be used for this project that is slated for Spring, 2023. Columbarium – The Board is waiting for Kevin Hipp of Franklin Monument to deliver the contract for this project. The Board will review for edits they want and then forward the contract to the village attorney for his review and approval. The project is scheduled for completing in Spring, 2023. Sign Designs – Andrew Johnson is taking the lead on designing signs for the information board and the front entrance. Cameras for Cemetery - Paula is waiting for Andrew Johnson to bring in the photos from the cameras. She will send him an email as he was not present for this meeting. Cemetery Bylaws – The Board began editing on June 29th. Review will continue with the goal of finalizing by October 2022. Main Entrance Pothole Repair – Mayor Leshinski donated one bag of cold patch for the project. Paula to complete purchase request for two more bags. He will be completing work by the end of September. Main Entrance Road – Project plans postponed until 2023 New Business Village Website Cemetery Page – The cemetery page needs to be improved from it’s current standing. Scott Jones offered to assist with the project. Rosemary will take the lead on this project. Special Meeting Notification – Paula Knodel needed further clarification on when “special meeting” postings are required. It was stated that if the meeting was part of the normal monthly times where agendas are posted, then no extra posting is required. If there is an independent meeting, then it needs to be posted for the community to be notified. Pioneer Cemetery Tree Removal – Rosemary provided photos of trees that need to be taken down at Pioneer Cemetery before they can fall and do damage to headstones. Paula will put facilitate the RFP and bids for this project. Pioneer Cemetery Fencing – This project is being put on hold until 2023. Marylin Makruski moved to adjourn. Rosemary Leshinski seconded. The roll was called with all in favor Respectfully Submitted Paula S Knodel, Cemetery Clerk