MINUTES
Town Cemetery Board
Thursday, October 29, 2009
10:00 a.m.
Town Hall Meeting Room
Present: Chairman Kevin Reich and members Russell Oakes, Sr. and Nikki O’Neill. Also in attendance were Sexton Robert Drewry, Town Council member John Tuttle, Town Manager Jeffery O’Keefe, Director of Public Works Keith Hayden and Recording Secretary Cathy Sirois.
Not present: Arthur Jacobson
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Kevin Reich called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES – OCTOBER 21, 2008
A motion was made by Mr. Oakes, seconded by Ms. O’Neill to approve the minutes of the October 21, 2008 meeting. Voted (3-0).
UNDERGROUND IMAGING UPDATE
Mr. Drewry provided an update on the underground imaging that was performed on the Young Street cemetery by Underground Imaging Technology (UIT). He reviewed the conclusion which indicated that there was not 100% certainty that the portions in question are empty. Further investigation of the area would be needed. It was noted that it may be less expensive to acquire additional land than to further image the area. Proposals will be obtained from UIT for future work.
UPDATE ON CEMETERIES
Mr. Drewry reported that there have been no burials since 2008. Only Skinnerville Cemetery has plots available for purchase.
Mr. Oakes noted that repairs need to be done on the wall at Seldon Cemetery.
Mr. Reich would like to take a tour of each of the cemeteries with Mr. Drewry and Mr. Hayden to make a list of work that needs to be done.
FEES
The fee for plots in the town cemeteries is $500. There is also a $350 charge to dig the grave. Mr. Drewry provided a comparison of other cemeteries in the area. Our costs are in reasonable range to the other towns.
FLAG POLE UPDATE
Mr. Reich will confirm with Ms. Shulman in Finance the list of individuals that made donations for the flagpoles.
Ms. O’Neill accompanied the VFW to each of the town cemeteries for the Memorial Day ceremony. She would like to see more advertisement done for next year’s event.
Thanks were given to Public Works for installing the flagpoles.
2010-2011 BUDGET
A motion was made by Ms. O’Neill, seconded by Mr. Oakes, to request $5,000.00 for the Town Cemetery Board for the 2010-2011 budget. The line item will be listed under the Public Works budget. Voted (3-0).
ADOPT A CEMETERY – SCHEDULE MEETING WITH LOCAL CONTRACTORS
A meeting/luncheon will be scheduled during the first week of December with local landscapers to discuss the “adopt a cemetery” idea.
LAND ACQUISITION
A piece of property owned by Lee Taylor may be available for sale on Young Street adjacent to the cemetery. The process would include Planning & Zoning, Board of Finance and Town Council approvals. A motion was made by Mr. Oakes, seconded by Ms. O’Neill, to authorize Chairman Reich to send a letter to the Town Manager requesting consideration to purchase the property. Voted (3-0).
CEMETERY MAINTENANCE REGULATIONS
The board will review the existing cemetery maintenance regulations and a new draft of regulations and will discuss at the next meeting.
OTHER
A motion was made by Mr. Oakes, seconded by Mr. Reich, to add an item to the agenda to appoint a sexton for the town cemeteries. Voted (3-0).
A motion was made by Ms. O’Neill, seconded by Mr. Oakes, to appoint Robert Drewry as the sexton for the town cemeteries. Voted (3-0).
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Ms. O’Neill, seconded by Mr. Oakes, to adjourn the meeting at 11:00 a.m. Voted (3–0).
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Sirois
Recording Secretary
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