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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/15/2003 � • � MINUTES OF LEBANON CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING July 15,2003-2:00 p.m. � Apple Valley Municipal Center COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Wilt Anderson,Ranee Hadley, Gary Humphrey,Dave Kemp,Reid Koepp,John Raiche, and Gary Wagner COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: Public Works Director Neal Heuer,Public Works Supervisor Rod Rippentrop, and Public Works Administrative Manager Pamela Gackstetter Chair Anderson called the meeting to order at 2:03 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: of Koepp, ,seconded by Raiche, approving the agenda for today's meeting as written. Motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION: of Kemp, seconded by Wagner, approving the minutes of the Apri115, 2003, meeting, as written. Motion passed unanimously. NEW BUSINESS Activity Report Ms. Gackstetter reviewed the Lebanon Cemetery Activity Report. Second quarter activity consisted of 13 lot sales and 6 burials. Of the 13 lots sold, 8 were preneed and 5 were at need sales. Of the 6 burials, 5 were traditional and 1 was cremation. Totals since January 2003 are 21 lot sales and 10 burials. As requested by the Committee at the last meeting, Ms. Gackstetter also reviewed total traditional and cremation lot and columbarium niche sales as compared to total lots platted. Grounds Update Mr. Rippentrop gave a grounds update. Michael's Lawn Service was awarded the contract for mowing services again this year. The cost is the same per acre as last year. However, with the additional area to be mowed, the price will go up from $385 to $425 per event. Appro�mately six more trees died and will be replaced this fall. Chair Anderson asked if the same species would be replaced. Mr. Rippentrop said this last batch of trees that died were a different species than those replaced the time before. He stated he would check with the City's Natural Resources Coordinator on the species. He further stated that they � � . will place the new trees in a hole two to three times larger than the last hole. This should help the roots take hold because the new soil won't be as compacted as the rest of the ground. Committee Member Humphrey arrived at 2:09 p.m. Mr. Rippentrop passed photos around to show some of the improvements completed this summer. The first photo shows the grey landscaping rock, edging, and daylilies placed around the historical monument on the southeast corner of the historic cemetery. The second photo depicts the flowers planted in front of the flagpoles. The last couple photos show the grading of the southern and eastern sections of the cemetery and seeding of the eastern portion. Mr. Rippentrop stated they will treat the eastern portion with weed killer after the grass is better established. The southern portion will be seeded around August 15. The boulevard was hydroseeded with a salt tolerant seed this year. Mr. Rippentrop said the City has budgeted far this to be done again in Spring of 2004 after the sand is swept off the boulevard. However, if it is not more successful next year, it may make sense to simply seed the area with an annual rye grass. The rye grass grows fast and is less expensive than the hydroseeding. Chair Anderson said he was surprised to learn the seed placed this year on the boulevard was salt tolerant, and was glad the City knew of the product and was trying it. He also said he felt contractors conducting work at the cemetery should be held accountable for any damage they cause. In addition to the significant amount of mud left by the grave digger and vault company in order to prepare for a recent burial, the vault company also left a gouge in the asphalt when lowering the vault/casket. Mr. Rippentrop said crews may need to lay plywood when it is really wet in order save the grounds. Chair Anderson stated he felt the vault company should be responsible to place wood supports under the outrigger supports on their truck. Committee Member Kemp said he could supply Mr. Rippentrop with a contact and phone number at Brown-Wilbert if he would like to contact them regarding placing wooden supports. Committee Member Kemp further said that although most drivers for Brown-Wilbert do a good job, it is not uncommon to have to ca11 to remind them now and again. He also said the City may want to restrict vault companies from bringing in mare than one vault at a time. Chair Anderson also asked if it was possible for the Police Department to patrol the area more frequently. During a recent visit to the cemetery, Chair Anderson stated he found beer bottles, fire crackers, and skid marks on the roadway, and expressed concern that others may follow suit if left unchecked. Committee Member Koepp asked if the City had ever considered installing sports field artificial turf. Mr. Heuer said it is necessary to sweep the boulevard in the spring to remove the sand and dirt, and that sweeping would damage the turf. Mr. Heuer further said a pathway may be installed sometime in the future, which would eliminate quite a bit of the sod. Committee Member Humphrey asked if staff knew when the County planned to upgrade Pilot Knob Road south of _ County Road 42. Mr. Heuer said the project is included in the County's 2004 CIP and that a copy of the project is currently sitting on his desk for review. Committee Member Humphrey asked if the pathway could be added to the project. Mr. Heuer stated it could not be added at this time. 2 _ � � Committee Member Hadley questioned if there is a species of grass that is used near oceans that would be more hardy to salt. Mr. Rippentrop responded that species found near the ocean cannot tolerate Minnesota's cold weather. Chair Anderson said he wanted to compliment Mr. Rippentrop for the job he and the Streets Division have done since he took over the responsibilities of the cemetery. Chair Anderson further said he would still like to see the City assign someone specifically to the cemetery. This person would be dedicated to the cemetery and responsible for maintenance and other issues. Mr. Heuer said it is not possible with current staffing to dedicate a maintenance employee solely to the cemetery. Howe�er, it may be possible to give an employee, such as a Technical Specialist, primary responsibility for the cemetery. They may not be at the cemetery every day, but they would be knowledgeable about activities, could direct seasonals, and could be held accountable to see that the work gets done. Proposed Budget Mr. Heuer said staff recently completed its 2004 budget request. The proposed budgets will be reviewed by the City Administrator and Finance Director,with final approval by the City Council in December. Mr. Heuer said the proposed 2004 budget reflects a slight increase, mainly due to costs associated with seeding the boulevard and additional equipment which will be jointly funded by the cemetery and the Streets Division. There are no substantial changes to the budget as a whole and no major improvements are slated for 2004. Fire Fighter Feature Area Update Mr. Heuer said he recently attended a meeting held to discuss the Firefighter Memorial. The Firefighter Memorial Committee reviewed the engineer's sketch, or drawing, of the memorial and discussed fundraising options, installing a brick pathway, and possibly adding a bronze statute. Mr. Heuer further said that the Fire Department is still in the planning stages,but intends to come back to the Cemetery Committee when it has a draft design. The Fire Department will also need to go before the City Council far approval to proceed. Chair Anderson asked what the timeline for this project was. Mr. Heuer said the timeline is largely contingent on the Fire Department's ability to raise the necessary funds. Committee Member Hadley suggested the brick around the firefighter emblem be colored concrete. Mr. Heuer said he is sure the Firefighter Memorial Committee would be interested to hear of any comments the Cemetery Committee had and encouraged them to let the Fire Department know. Committee Member Kemp said he would be willing to help the Firefighter Memorial Committee with contact information or other assistance if they so needed it. Committee Member Kemp further suggested the Firefighter Memorial Comxnittee may wish to consider an endowment fund to ensure the feature area does not fall into disrepair. Although it is likely minimal work may be needed the first 10 to 15 years, after that time, the bronze statute may need to be cleaned,the brick may need to be replaced, andlor other items may need to be repaired. Volunteer Activities and Update Chair Anderson said he coordinated a volunteer group from the Knights of Columbus. Appro�mately 15 men came out on a Saturday morning and removed litter, picked rocks, and weeded the flower bed. Chair Anderson said the group worked very hard and did a nice job 3 . ` - cleaning up the cemetery. He further said the group indicated they would be willing to do it again in a couple of months. NIr. Rippentrop informed the Committee that there are currently five individuals or organizations registered as active cemetery volunteers. Marker and Monument Brochure Mr. Gackstetter said she recently created the Markers and Monuments brochure included in the packet. This brochure was developed to assist patrons by providing definitions, details, and requirements regarding the placement of monuments and markers in Lebanon Cemetery. Committee Member Kemp said he noted there are size restrictions on monuments but did not see any restrictions for markers. Ms. Gackstetter said the ordinance states a marker must not exceed the dimensions of the lot upon which it rests. Committee Member Kemp said the City may want to be more restrictive regarding marker size in the future. OTHER BUSINESS Publicity Chair Anderson reviewed articles that appeared in the Thisweek, Sun Current, and Pioneer Press newspapers highlighting Lebanon Cemetery. Ms. Gackstetter summarized two articles for the Apple Vallev Ci . News. One was placed in the summer issue and the other will be placed in the fall issue of the newsletter. Donations Ms. Gackstetter informed the Committee of donations made to the Landscape Beautification Fund. ADJOURN MOTION: of Hadley, seconded by Koepp, to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 3:16 p.m. Approved: 4