Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association

Transcription

1 Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association June 11, 2013 VFW Post 887, Leighton Road, Augusta, Maine CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order by Kelley Wynne at 9:00a.m. OPENING CEREMONY: Kelley Wynne: Pledge of Allegiance to Our Flag, and Moment of Silence ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS: Present: Kelley Wynne Chairman Charles Bennett Vice Chairman Mike Clark Treasurer Patricia Theriault Secretary Jack Stearns Purple Heart David Olson VFW Diane Culleton Maine Women Veterans Richard Fournier DAV David Richmond Peter Ogden Superintendent Veteran Services Excused Absent: Gary Laweryson Marine Corps League Louise Dorr General Public Mike Murphy Funeral Directors of Maine BG James Campbell Adjutant General Guests of the Committee: Chris Rector, Regional Representative for Senator Angus King Mrs. Carol Worthley Required number of voting members present for quorum is five: eight voting members present SECRETARY S REPORT: The March 2013 Association meeting was cancelled due to a snowstorm. The members of the Association, communicating through and phone, voted on and passed the selection of Association Officers for the upcoming term. Minutes of the electronic vote were ed to the Association members in March Charles Bennett made a motion to accept the March 2013 minutes as written. Mike Clark seconded the motion. The motion to accept the March 2013 minutes as written was voted on and passed. 1

2 TREASURER S REPORT: The Quarterly Report for March June 2013 was presented and reviewed by Treasurer Mike Clark. Charles Bennett made a motion to accept the Quarterly Report as written. Richard Fournier seconded the motion. The motion to accept the Quarterly Report for March-June 2013 was voted on and passed. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Kelley Wynne introduced Mr. Chris Rector of Senator Angus King s office to the Association, and Mrs. Carol Worthley, widow of Mr. Robert Worthley, the first Veteran interred in the new niche walls at Civic Center Drive Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. Mrs. Worthley was invited to take the floor to express her concern that the names of Veterans interred in the new niche walls are not represented in the engraved granite directory wall. Her concern that out-of-state family members would not be able to locate Veterans interred in the new niche wall without their names being engraved on the directory wall generated a general discussion. Kelley Wynne explained that the Cemetery Association s decision not to engrave names from the new niche wall onto the directory wall was based on the proximity of the two walls and prohibitive cost. Mrs. Worthley read a selection from The History of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery text to the members, which described the Bell Court, the directory wall, the listing of all burials, and the addition of new names each year. Mrs. Worthley explained that names of Veterans interred in the older niche walls, located farther from the directory wall, are engraved in the directory wall, and expressed that the lack of engraving for the new niche walls was of concern to her. Dave Richmond stood to address Mrs. Worthley s concerns. Mr. Richmond explained that the new niche wall proximity to the directory wall was a deciding factor in not engraving niche wall names on the directory wall. Mr. Richmond explained that the engraving process, which lists names by year based on interment, is a process with no rhyme or reason in assisting families in locating interment sites. Mr. Wynne commented that the Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association pays for the engraving of the directory wall, not the state. The engraving of the directory wall at Mt. Vernon Road costs approximately $10,000 per year. Adding engraving at the Civic Center Drive Cemetery for the new niche walls, located feet from the directory wall, would cost an additional $7,500-$10,000 per year. Mr. Wynne discussed the unsustainable cost and feasibility of the directory wall engraving. Mr. Richmond discussed the upcoming installation of a touch-screen kiosk located at the Administration Building which will accurately and immediately allow family members to locate interment sites, as well as printing out a map of the location. Mr. Richmond assured Mrs. Worthley and Association members that there will be adequate signage to direct family members and visitors to the kiosk. Mrs. Worthley was thanked for speaking to the Association, and was assured that the Association recognized the importance of her views. The Association agreed to review her points and work to identify the best possible solution for all concerned. 2

3 Mr. Richmond, with Mrs. Worthley still present, spoke to the Association about an issue with the newly purchased stainless steel niche wall vases. The main problem, which affects the vase placed on Mr. Robert Worthley s niche, is as follows: With the extruding upper lip of the top row of niches, the vases cannot be removed from the holder in order to empty water from the vase portion. This can be addressed by a simple redesign of the holder, to free up the vase in the allotted space for the top row. Mrs. Worthley validated Mr. Richmond s point, and suggested a small drain hole at the bottom of the vase to allow the water to run out. Mr. Richmond will contact the metal manufacturer of the niche wall vases about making a correction to the bracket in order to allow removal of the vases on the top row of niches. Mr. Richmond also recommended placing vases on the right-hand side of the niches, in order to minimize blocking the names on the niches. SUPERINTENDENT S REPORT: Mr. Richmond discussed with the Association that there will be a federal grant arriving in October 2013 for the building of eight new niche walls at Civic Center Drive. Civic Center drive will be expanded only through niche walls from this point on. Burial totals through June are as follows: Civic Center Dr. Mount Vernon Caribou Spring Vale Total burials: Reservations: Lane Casey has been contracted to build three niche walls at Civic Center Drive, beginning next week, with an anticipated completion date of August 15 th. Civic Center Drive Cemetery has only two niches remaining. Funerals are not being scheduled at Civic Center Drive at this time. Farley and Sons is entering the third year of their contract to realign headstones. They will begin this year in the Q section, moving to the R section, and ending off in the M and N sections. There was discussion about flush mount VFW emblems and vases being buried in the process of the headstone realignment project, as Farley and Sons place gravel and space the headstones. Emblem identification and placement is not included in the alignment contract, and vases which become filled and grown over with grass are difficult to identify. Mr. Richmond discussed that vases which are grown over and unidentifiable are not going to be pulled. In cases where the vase or emblem is visible, it is being pulled and placed next to the stone. Mr. Richmond has asked the crew to be more vigilant in identifying and pulling emblems and vases. Mr. Joshua de Leon, Director of Veterans Cemetery Grant Services recently took a three day tour of the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemeteries. Mr. DeLeon visited Caribou, then Civic Center Drive and Mount Vernon, then met with the committee at Spring Vale. Mr. DeLeon has presented that the VA is committed to providing two grants. The first, at Civic Center Drive, includes the committal shelter, administration building, and electronic kiosk for interment location. The second grant provides for the building of eight new niche walls at Civic 3

4 Center Drive. The walls will be four niches high in the current section, and shift to five niches high on new walls down the hill. There are concerns that the height of a five niche wall may cause difficulty for shorter family members and friends in placing flowers on the top row niches. Mount Vernon Road will receive an additional grant. The VA is committed to providing preprepared double-depth crypts. With drainage built into the crypts, the VA will also provide funds for irrigation of the grass above and around the crypts. Work is anticipated to begin in October. The design plan for Civic Center Drive is 35% complete. The design for Mount Vernon Road has not yet begun. Mr. Howard Orr will meet with Mr. Richmond and Mr. Peter Ogden to review the designs and options for the Augusta Cemeteries. The Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Caribou is celebrating their 10-year anniversary. They have begun considering developing a committal shelter. Mr. Richmond addressed two complaints from visitors to Civic Center Drive on Memorial Day about the caroline towers. The existing wooden / pressboard peak has weathered and disintegrated. The damaged peaks have been removed, as well as a malfunctioning speaker. There was general discussion on replacement options for the peak, including a slate or granite slab, or some type of composite. The discussion culminated in the suggestion from Mr. Chris Rector to contact the University of Maine Structural Engineering department to see if they would work on the calculations necessary to determine the load bearing capacity of the existing fortyfive year old concrete structures. Mr. Rector suggested contacting Dean Humphreys for the possible donation of their efforts to the Association. Mr. Richmond agreed to make contact with Dean Humphreys. In the continuing efforts to address the mold issue in the Chapel at Civic Center Drive, there will be a meeting on June 18 th at 8:00 a.m. with Summit Engineering. Summit Engineering will scope inside the walls, check the exterior sheeting, and track the cause of the mold. Abatement decisions will need to come at a later date, with consideration of cost. The VA / state will not pay for abatement, or for the building of a new chapel. There was general discussion about the needs to consider cost, payment sources, longevity of repair suggestions, and alternate options. CHAIRMAN S REPORT: Kelly Wynne suggested that the annual pizza party in recognition of the work of the cemetery crew be held on September 10, following the next Association meeting. Richard Fournier made a motion to hold the pizza party as suggested. Charles Bennett seconded the motion The motion to hold the recognition pizza party on Sept. 10 was voted on and passed. Mr. Wynne raised a discussion about the placement of 6-8 granite posts with a chain to be placed around the base of the Battlefield Cross monument at Mount Vernon Road. There were children climbing on the monument at the Memorial Day ceremony. Mike Clark stated that there is an estimate coming from Collette Granite for the posts, placing them in a 15-foot diameter. Collette is recommending 8 posts to bear the weight of the chain. Mr. Fournier suggested creating a 4

5 mock-up of Collette s plan with wooden stakes to visualize the distances. There was discussion with Mr. Richmond on mounting the already purchased six solar lights on the posts as opposed to on the ground, so that the lights will shine despite snow. Mr. Richmond encouraged the Association to consider a ground treatment inside the chain barrier to ensure that mowing will not be impeded, and to create an area that is maintenance free. This could be accomplished using gravel, pavers, or concrete as well as a weed barrier. NEW BUSINESS: Charles Bennett raised the concern about the muddy conditions of the access road behind the Battlefield Cross and up into the field. Mr. Richmond reminded the Association that these are temporary access roads, designed to be removed once burials in those areas are completed. Mr. Bennett asked that Mr. Richmond consider adding crusher dust or gravel to improve the nonpermanent roads. The Association s dialogue with Mrs. Carol Worthley was revisited. General discussion of ideas, alternatives, and financial implications were raised. At this time, Mr. Richmond and Mr. Clark will work with Collette Granite to create an apples-to-apples comparison of potential remedies based on size, numbers of names, and annual cost to bring back to the Association for further consideration. BUREAU DIRECTOR S REPORT: Peter Ogden reviewed the plans to replace Camp Keyes with a National Guard building located inside the current main entrance of the Civic Center Drive cemetery. Mr. Ogden provided Association members with an Executive Summary of the background and planning process. A copy of the Executive Summary is attached to these minutes. Mr. Ogden discussed that the area to be built upon was determined to be not useable for cemetery purposes. A new main entrance will be created closer to the 99 Restaurant, and will include putting in a set of traffic lights for accessibility. NEXT AGENDA: Estimate from Collette Granite for consideration of engraving niche wall names on directory wall, and cost of additional wall sections. Availability of University of Maine Structural Engineering students for caroline tower load-bearing calculations. Estimate from Collette Granite on posts / chain around Battlefield Cross. Pizza Party for cemetery crew immediately following the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 10:49 a.m. NEXT MEETING: September 10, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, Patricia Theriault 5

6 Presented to Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association at June 11, 2013 meeting by Peter Ogden in discussion of National Guard building construction 6