Cemetery Commission

                                                       Town of Stowe

                                                       August 4, 2009           APPROVED 9/1/09

The regular meeting of the Stowe Cemetery Commission was held Tuesday, August 4, 2009 in the Banquet Room in the Akeley memorial Building starting at 8:00 A.M.

Members present: Judy Demeritt, Donna Adams and Leigh Tabor. Absent: Joy Fagan and George von Trapp. Also present: Bruce Godin and John Clegg from Clegg Memorials (at 8:45).

Minutes of July 7, 2009 Mr. Tabor moved to approve with a minor correction, seconded by Ms. Demeritt with all in favor. Ms. Fagan and Mr. von Trapp were not present.

Ms. Adams described to the members and Mr. Godin a situation re: Frank/Reba Bedell.

The question was are the ashes of Reba Bedell in the correct Bedell lot, i.e. with Frank and Rachel or with Frank Jr. Mr. Godin will look into the situation and report to Ms. Adams.

(1)The large tree at the entrance of Riverbank will cost approximately $1200 to remove/cut up (then needs to be replaced) Approximately $1,000 per tree for 2-3 other trees. Mr. Godin stated something needs being done, perhaps this fall.

(2) Work being done on the White House and roof is completed.

      Mr. Godin plans to put in two “pull-offs” in the new section this fall.

(4) Mr. Godin’s men have washed some stones in Sec.7, Riverbank

and plan to wash (not a complete power wash) additional older stones.

(5)    Mr. Godin will get to Barbara Allaire the instructions to put on the water fountains so she can get tags. 

Discussion re: the garage building behind the Memorial Building took place.

It was agreed that the Commission/Mr. Godin will continue to have the use of the building. Ms. Adams said it was part of the Stafford agreement that the hearses shall be on display- but the question is should the Commission ask for money in the budget do some work on the garage. Also Ms. Adams said she needs to follow up on the proposed Town Plan and what is being proposed re: the building. Ms. Adams said it could take years to restore either building (garage or building in Riverbank). Discussion followed and Ms Adams will follow up with Tom Jackman.    

                                                   Work Orders

Walker, Robert Lot owner. Sec. 16 Lot 81W Riverbank. Foundation and memorial. Clegg Memorials contractor.

Moody, Freda   Lot owner. Sec. 25 Lots 30 & 31 Riverbank .Foundation and memorial. Clegg Memorials Contractor.

Rauch, Bradley & Michelle Lot owners. Sec. 25 Lot 26 Riverbank. Foundation by Kevin Walbridge and Memorial by Barre Memorial Studio.

Lintermann, Heinz & Agnes Lot Owners Sec. Cremation Garden. Lot 12 Riverbank. Grass marker by Clegg Memorials.

On a motion by Mr. Tabor and seconded by Ms. Demeritt, the above work orders were approved as submitted. All In favor. Ms. Fagan and Mr. von Trapp were not present. 

Charbonneau Marker:  Barbara Allaire reported that a gentleman has been in contact with her via e-mail stating it has been reported that the Charbonneau stone is not legal and questioning if the stone is still on the lot. It is not allowed. E-mails have resulted in the Vet Administration sending a letter to the Cemetery Commission allowing for the removal/destruction of the stone as Mr. Charbonneau was not the recipient of the Medal of Honor. Awaiting further information before going ahead with the removal.

Rules & Regulations re:  Violations in Riverbank. Ms. Adams stated there is nothing currently in the rules which addressesfigurines/ similar devices and the like. Discussion continued with members feeling perhaps there is nothing wrong with allowing such items as long as they are within 1’ of the base. John Clegg arrived to the meeting.

The figurines can be dangerous when mowing , stated Mr. Tabor with Mr. Godin agreeing. Ms. Adams questioned if the members would want the space filled up with figurines. Ms. Demeritt felt the Commission should think about it. She said she likes garden figurines but questioned if she would like them in the cemetery. Mr. Tabor said to some people figurines are a way of remembrance. tape 1 side 2 Ms. Adams felt in order to allow these things, some form of fence (or border) would need to be installed so people working in the cemetery would not get hurt when weed wacking. This will be revisited at a future meeting. 

John Clegg present re: Large Foundation discussion: Ms.Adams thanked Mr. Clegg for attending the meeting and told him the Selectboard were reluctant to have any restriction on the height of a memorial. Ms. Adams said the Commission needs to return to the Selectboard with some information re: sizes, heights, foundation requirements to present. Mr. Clegg felt that all pieces should be pinned together and depending on the width, perhaps they could be allowed to go wider if being pinned. That way the top piece is more stable. To do this, Ms. Adams said the possibility of going into the burial area exists. Mr. Clegg stated the higher one goes, the wider the foundation needs to be. He felt engineering should be done to determine the weight/height which needs to be balanced with a bigger foundation. He did not feel the foundation would need to be deeper than 4’ - but would need to be wider for a very tall monument. The area needs to be adequate for a full burial. Mr. Clegg suggested the present lots being sold do not have the same space as did the older lots, which makes it more difficult. Mr. Tabor felt it would be self policing because of the size of the lot. Mr. Clegg suggested that stainless steel threaded rods be used for pins and the diameter of the pin is important, (1/4” or go 1/3 of the stone through the base) using x number of inches of pin for each so many feet of stone and pinned (number of pins will vary according to the height) Mr. Godin suggested taking pictures prior to the foundation being covered to make certain what was approved is in fact what is in the ground (needs to be a step process) Ms. Adams stated she felt that someone will be before the Commission requesting a large monument and asked Mr. Godin how it could be handled in the cemetery. Mr. Godin stated planks would be required (at the owners expense) as a large piece of equipment cannot go to the lot. (this is in the regs at the present time which do not allow for equipment going across a lot) Mr. Tabor suggested cost could enter into the size of any monument. Ms. Adams said the Commission needs to have regulations in place in the case any large monument comes before them. Mr. Tabor suggested contacting Vt. Tech or UVM to inquire about an engineer. Ms. Demeritt suggested limiting the amount of the lot which could be used for a large monument and that would be self policing. It was stated Mr.Godin and his department would need to be compensated for any work which would be required to install a large monument. Ms. Adams will discuss the engineering with Mr. Johnson or Justin Rabidoux, staff for the Town.  

There being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting adjourned at 10:00 A.M.