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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-2024 MinutesMOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY BOARD MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 2pm A. CALL TO ORDER The Cemetery Board meeting of Tuesday, February 13, 2024, was called to order by Judi Roland at 2:05pm. Members present: Judi Roland, Arnie Galli, Tim Pierce, Jeanne Hicks Members absent: Robert Rakos Staff present: Immer Chevalier & April Shank Cerio B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes from meeting on October 10, 2023, were reviewed, no corrections or additions were made, and a motion was made, seconded and unanimously passed to approve as printed. C. Old Business  Fees Increase – Effective January 1, 2024, most plots were increased by $100, Child’s Place $25. All niches with the exception of Glass were increased by $100.00. Cremation plots increased $100 and FW plots increased $200. It had been 20 years since our marker setting & re-setting fee was increased; now $395 & $225. Prices for everything utilized to operate have increased so the need to make some adjustments was needed. A liner installation fee was added for liners sold by funeral homes.  Flower Policy Update – The cemetery flower policy was re-vamped to be much more specific. Other local cemetery’s policies were reviewed to make sure the updated policy was in line with the surrounding areas. Prohibited items and explanations as to why the policy is in place was included in this update.  Christmas Wreath Sales – These wreaths are made by cemetery groundkeepers from fresh and recycled materials and are sold for $20. The funds go towards the city’s Giving Campaign and are donated to a local food bank or charity. 16 Christmas Wreaths were sold in December.  New Maintenance Worker I – Cemetery was able to fill the 5th position and hired Trysen Hoevel, who started on November 16th, 2023. He came with construction experience and had been with the Laborer’s Union for several years. He is a great addition to the cemetery team!  ForestWalk Phase III Invitation to Submit Quote – The master plan was approved for the new FWIII and was open for bids with the deadline of December 1st, 2023. R.W. Scott Construction, Inc. was awarded the contract. D. New Business  Pioneer Cemetery Incident – On December 26th, a drunk driver drove through the metal fence of Pioneer Cemetery and damaged some headstones, turf, and a few fence panels. Luckily the driver had insurance. One family made a claim and was paid for their monument so a new one will be ordered. Immer received an estimate cost to fix the fence. The city’s HR department has been handling the claim with the insurance.  Graffiti at Mountain View – A couple of weeks ago, someone spray painted graffiti all around the cemetery. The front sandstone entrance, the boulder sign, road signs, garbage cans and trees. Cemetery staff acted quickly and were able to remove most all of the paint with pressure washing with the exception of a blue color. A special graffiti remover was ordered and used which finally worked.  ForestWalk Phase III Pre Construction – R.W. Scott Construction, Inc. should be starting soon, and work shall be completed within 30 working days. This new area should add about 1500 cremation placements.  10th Addition – This new area will be full size plots and it will be to the left of the chapel. These will include upright monument plots which are needed as the inventory only have a few left that are available for purchase. Cemetery staff will be able to complete a lot of this project themselves and they have already started removing some small trees.  Added by Judi – Markers sinking/Grass looking bad – Around the older sections of the cemetery she has noticed markers sinking and some grass areas looking very bad. What do we do about this? When a family member brings something like this to the cemetery’s attention, the staff can go out and level markers by adding sand underneath to bring them up. As far as the grass looking bad, some areas it’s because the irrigation may not hit that spot. The sod can be replaced when needed. E. Budget Reports  Budget Update – Oct-Dec 2023 & Jan 2024 The cemetery ended 2023 with over 2 million. There was an increase in cremations vs burials for placements in 2023. 326 Placements total for the year which is comparable to recent previous years. Cremation has been on the rise for many years and overall is less expensive than burial services. In 2023 the cemetery stayed within the budget. CEMETERY SALES 2023 Cemetery Sales October November December Year Totals Month-To-Date Receipts $179,625.58 $180,307.91 $105,515.61 $2,090,265.20 Ground Plots 18 15 8 161 Cremation Plots 4 4 4 57 Niches 4 2 2 47 ForestWalk Ossuary 2 Extended Land Use 3 1 1 22 Markers 9 19 9 190 Graves 22 19 12 218 Markers 9 19 9 190 Niches 4 2 2 49 Total Placements 28 26 23 326 Cremation 16 16 11 181 Ground Burial 12 10 12 145 January 2024 was a very good month ending in $255,776.03. This is the highest month in revenue in a few years. CEMETERY SALES 2024 Cemetery Sales January Month-To-Date Receipts $255,776.03 Ground Plots 21 Cremation Plots 3 Niches 5 ForestWalk Ossuary Extended Land Use 1 Markers 13 Graves 24 Markers 13 Niches 5 Total Placements 28 Cremation 13 Ground Burial 15 F. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned by Judi Roland at 3:04pm. Approved Date Immer Chevalier Cemetery Manager February 15, 2024