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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 13 2008 Minutes, Cemetery Board.docx SUNSET HILLS CEMETERY ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES NOVEMBER 13, 2008 1:00 PM CITY COMMISSION ROOM – CITY HALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Russ Tuckerman, Chairperson Katherine Ball Betsy Fordyce Carl Craft Gene Brooks Jeff Rupp, City Commission Liaison David Cook, Park and Recreation Board Liaison CITY STAFF PRESENT: Thom White, Park & Cemetery Superintendent Shane Surber, Cemetery Foreman Michelle Dipzinski, Cemetery Board Secretary Chairperson Tuckerman called the meeting to order at 1:03 Item #1 – Approve September 11, 2008 minutes: Joyce Schmitt provided grammar and spelling errors. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Boardmember Ball and seconded by Boardmember Fordyce. Item #2 – Public Comment – 3 minutes maximum: Chairperson Tuckerman prefers to have the public comment section at the beginning of the meetings, he requested that comments be limited to one time and anything else would have to wait until the next meeting or send an email. In general there is a method of consistency and public comment in the middle of a board discussion has been ruled out. Tom Olsen from Bozeman Granite Works said if people come down they should be able to comment as they see fit on an agenda item or lack of an agenda item. He doesn’t see the benefit of sanctioning. Commissioner Rupp said he assumes the rules of public comment are the same as the commission. At each agenda item the commission allows the public the right to comment, he suggested erring on the side of letting the public make comment but to hold the comment until the board is finished with the discussion. Tom Olsen stated that the last meeting centered around monuments and considering the length of time spent discussing monuments he feels they should be discussed each time whether the board likes it or not. It is the most important item up there. Joyce Schmitt stated there are three issues that should be addressed at the meetings until they are dealt with, they are: 1)The 2020 Plan timetable and target date to meet the goals. 2)The 50% budget funding to try and reach within a reasonable amount of time. 3)The stone damage plan and timetable to correct. Deborah Diteman said she did not receive a copy of the last meeting minutes. She did receive a response letter and would like to say thank you for acknowledging that the monuments were damaged by cemetery personnel and that the issue will be addressed. The letter mentioned that they weren’t sure if the lawn mower or what damaged the monuments but she reiterated that she has watched the mowers hit stones other than her families and she provided photos. She thinks it would be a good idea to interview the people that will be mowing the lawn or to go with a private company. The people doing the maintenance should be people that respect the cemetery; they must have the character to respect that. She believes the last stone set in the family plot was set 10 years ago; several of the plots are unoccupied because the people are still living and some live out of state. She wonders how the board would feel if they went back to visit and their family plots were massively damaged and how disrespectful that is. Lastly she feels the same as Joyce Schmitt that a sincere plan to fix the damage to not just her family’s stones but all the stones that were, for the most part, damaged by the city. Gary Watson said he was in town for a view days visiting and paying respect at the cemetery of family buried there. Deborah Diteman brought the damaged stones to his attention and he says it is obvious that damage was done by a piece of equipment. He is not sure how long that can continue until it becomes a problem. He hadn’t planned on attending the meeting but after seeing the damage he would appreciate it if a plan could be set up to remedy the situation. In response to Joyce Schmitt, Chairperson Tuckerman requested that the increase in fees be set as an action item for the next meeting. The 20 year plan is just that, a plan, and set timelines will come and go with all the entities involved: staff, budget, & other issues. Boardmember Craft would like to take a field trip of the lots and sections that have the most damaged monuments. Item #3 – Introduce new Cemetery Foreman Shane Surber: Foreman Surber was welcomed. Item #4 – Introduce new Board members Carl Craft and Gene Brooks: Boardmember Craft was reinstated and Boardmember Brooks has many years of service, both were thanked for their willingness to serve and were welcomed. Item #5 – Veterans Wall update – Carl Craft: The foundation was poured for the wing section and center section; it went well and looks good. Kenyon Noble was paid for the concrete but they did give a nice discount. The Mason laying the block will donate his time and should be done before the end of the year if weather permits, Boardmember Craft and Brooks will mix the block and do the grunt work for that part of the project. The fund currently has $14,900.00 remaining and will be used to move forward on getting started on the All Veterans All War Memorial and may be used to repair other sections of the Vietnam Veterans memorial. It is great to have the volunteers up there. Item #6 – Other Business: Boardmembers Derby and Springer – term ends December 31, 2008. Superintendent White provided more information on the changes to personnel at the cemetery. Foreman Surber has about 15 years of service to the Cemetery, his knowledge and experience will be a huge asset, he will be asked do a lot more. Scot Bolen is the new cemetery service worker, he has 15 years of service with the Water/Sewer Department and will be a huge asset to the cemetery, he has vast amounts of experience in large water jobs and trench work. Cross training occurs between Cemetery and Parks Department personnel in aspects where they can depend on each other. Superintendent White is continuing to work with MSU on the master plan. Bridger Ski Foundation is in the process of grooming the trails, the Farmer got the crop off and everyone seems happy. The agreement is ready to be signed, Neil Westesen has looked it over and both he and Dragan Danevski will sign in about 2 weeks. Some issues that have come up during discussions are that they want to use a Harley rake on the trail but will not be allowed because the field would need to be reseeded and cooperation with the neighborhood needs to continue; they need to provide their schedules to staff also. Last year the ground was wet so Superintendent White did not allow them to remove their equipment by the date in the agreement. The $2000.00 paid to BSF comes from the Recreation Department budget. Staff is continuing to work proactively with the Capital Improvement Project with a logical goal for the future: Mower replacement program – mowers are replaced every 3 years. There is a no drip policy within the city – many of the cemetery vehicles are older and need to have more fuel efficiency. Block development – in 3 years a water main extension will be needed for the new blocks Backhoe replacement – needed in 3 years, replace every 10 years. Smaller type tractor to share with Parks Dept. – would be used to plow Lindley Park sidewalks 7 trees had to be removed from the Cemetery due to Mountain Pine Beetle infestation, the Forestry Department helped with this. Cemetery Service Worker Rick Fink is working with Jon Henderson in the GIS Department on a GIS overlay program where a person can type in the name or owner of the lot and find where it is. Once on line it will help with genealogy searches, it will be a great program. 2 memorial trees were planted; the trees are planted to staff expectations with a little plaque. Other trees will be planted as water is available. The well is in the right location for planting trees along Ellis, we will not plant trees that do not have a water source. Discussion regarding the $500.00 bond for setting stones needs clarification, 2 or 3 times a year a veteran will set stones for veterans and they won’t be able to continue if the bond is required for each setting. Fee increases need to happen. If the fees increase 9% each year for 2 years that would increase the percentage from 25% to 38% of revenue going toward operation costs. The board members will look at private cemeteries and communities similar to Bozeman to see what their fees are. Discussion needs to ensue regarding other ways of finding revenue; at a previous meeting Boardmember Springer suggested getting a percentage of the farmer’s crop. The current 5 year contract with the farmer was signed last year so that would have to be something to consider in the future. th A tentative cemetery tour is set for November 20 at the Cemetery Shop, as of this date there are no funerals planned. th The next meeting will be held in the City Hall Commission Room, Thursday, February 12, 2009 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Boardmember Craft motioned to adjourn the meeting with Boardmember Fordyce seconding. The meeting adjourned at 2:00.