Meeting Minutes – December 2014
Members Present: John Sheehan Dick Cleveland Mike Martinez
Members Absent: n/a
Staff: Matt Mire, Sidney Harrington, Ray Sforzo
I CALL TO ORDER
MINTURN CEMETERY DISTRICT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES December 8, 2014
John Sheehan called the regular meeting to order at approximately 4:00 p.m. at the Riverview Cemetery Mausoleum, Minturn, CO. II
ROLL CALL
John, Mike, Ray and Sidney were all present. Matt Mire also attended the meeting. III
PUBLIC COMMENTS
n/a
IV APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES
Dick motioned to approve the meeting minutes from November 10, 2014. Mike seconded the motion and all were in favor.
- 2015 DISTRICT BUDGET PRESENTATION VI. STAFF DISCUSSION
- A. Ray gave a property manager report:
Ray reported on the recent challenges of two winter burials in November. There is a considerable amount of extra work that goes into pulling it off. Snow removal, ground freezing and weather are all elements that make it more time consuming for staff. The Bochain burial had guests in the upper cemetery who utilized the interior of the mausoleum very minimally for accessing the restroom, drinking water, etc. The Gallegos burial hosted a full funeral service inside the mausoleum resulting in a 1.5 hour service. Additionally, this burial required staff to install a polymer plastic vault. Both of these circumstances resulted in extra work and staff hours.
The clutch went out on the Ford truck. Valley Automotive quoted $1500 to fix the clutch and has offered to buy it for $750. Dick motioned not to fix the truck and to sell the truck to Valley Automotive. John seconded and all were in favor.
The slot drain has been installed down by the public restroom.
Board and staff continued discussion regarding vault installation and circumstances involving family and funeral home communications. Dick suggested that we have a burial check list.
- B. Sidney gave an Administrator report:
Discussion continued regarding the vault installation of the Gallegos burial including the timing of digging the grave and determining appropriate grave width for vaults. Sidney reported that all families are told that a concrete vault must be installed by a professional vault company. Families are also told that if they wish to utilize the interior of the mausoleum that they must schedule it with staff 48 hours in advance.
Staff revisited the mausoleum usage as it relates to people who own a space in the building vs. those people who do not. The Gallegos family conducted a 1.5 hour long service that delayed the burial. They did not pay a fee to use the building and conduct a funeral service including a viewing of the deceased. Dick said that this might be reasonable if we charge a rental fee and discussion continued.
Sidney suggested that the District send a letter to the two funeral homes (Gypsum and Leadville) that reminds them of the R&Rs. Dick further commented that the letter should emphasize ONLY the 2 important factors for scheduling burials: 1. Appropriate vault notification and 2. Appropriate mausoleum building use notification.
Board and staff agreed that a vault “service and handling” fee should always be charged no matter what type of vault is being installed. In other words, if there is a vault there is an additional fee. Dick also said we should refer to a vault as “casket protection” so that in the future there is no confusion. The winter burial fee was also addressed. Moving forward, we will always charge the winter fee Nov.1 through May. If we do not have winter costs, we can refund the winter rate; however, we will not alert people to the refund. This way we cover our costs if they are indeed incurred.
Sidney reviewed the Rule & Regulations with Board, staff and Matt. Changes to the verbiage in the vault installation section and the mausoleum building use sections were suggested and Matt will make the changes. Discussion ensued regarding charging a fee for a scheduled burial service inside the mausoleum. Sidney questioned the origin of the mausoleum membership and how the District should plan for the future. As the mausoleum fills, we need to accommodate for member discretion. Offering burial patrons (who are not interred in the building) rights to use the chapel may not be in the District’s best interest. Board and staff agreed that it will be much simpler to offer the chapel to mausoleum patrons only and disallow any request for funeral services for cemetery burial patrons. Additionally, a specific burial excavation depth shall be modified and Matt will revise the R&Rs, Interment Rights Contract, and the Fee Schedule respective to the discussed and agreed upon changes set forth in this meeting.
VII. BILL PAYING
The following electronic funds transfers were made:
EFT 11/21/2014 ERWSD 112.48
EFT 12/1/2014 Waste Management 50.00
EFT 12/3/2014 Vail Honeywagon 19.69
EFT 12/5/2014 Waste Management 50.00
EFT 12/5/2014 Centurylink 224.31
The following checks were signed:
| 12/8/2014 | 1784 | A4S Construction | 1,950.00 | |
| 12/8/2014 | 1777 | ABC Parts, Inc. | 27.47 | |
| 12/8/2014 | 1785 | Chase Ink 1,565.41 | ||
| 12/8/2014 | 1778 | Defina Construction, Inc. | 800.00 | |
| 12/8/2014 | 1779 | Home Depot 821.55 | ||
| 12/8/2014 | 1780 | Marchetti & Weaver, LLC | 985.21 | |
| 12/8/2014 | 1786 | MW Window Cleaning | 175.00 | |
12/8/2014 1781 Rocky Mountain Custom Landscapes 1,245.00
12/8/2104 1782 Saint Patrick Catholic Church 490.00
12/8/2014 1787 Sforzo Enterprises, Inc. 6,685.00
12/8/2014 1788 Ray Sforzo 36.49
12/8/2014 1789 Sidney Harrington 1,400.00
12/8/2014 1790 SVE Portable Roadway Systems, Inc. 2,563.00
12/8/2014 1783 Xcel Energy 953.90
VIII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
n/a
IX ADJOURNMENT
John motioned to adjourn the regular meeting, Dick seconded and all were in favor at approximately 5:04 PM.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 12, 2015 at 4:00 p.m., at the
Minturn Riverview Cemetery Mausoleum, Minturn, CO.
ATTEST:
Respectfully Submitted: Sidney Harrington Administrator
Mike Martinez
Minturn Cemetery District
Secretary/Treasurer
