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Minutes 11-14-00 MINUTES OF THE CEMETERY BOARD MEETING HELD AT THE SENIOR CENTER, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2000 AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Joan Kuehn, Chairperson David Nyquist, Vice Chair Sue Kruse, Secretary Tim Hensley (arrived 7:05 p.m.) Mack McCray, Alternate Tereesa Padgett Ods Walker John Wildner, Director of Parks Kurt Bressner, City Manager I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Kuehn called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. ATTEN DANCE Ms. Kruse called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. III. AGENDA APPROVAL Mr. McCray moved to approve the agenda as written. Mr. Walker seconded the motion that carried unanimously. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 10, 2000 MEETING Vice Chair Nyquist wished the record to reflect that he had not received a copy of the minutes nor had he received the agenda for tonight's meeting. Ms. Padgett made a change in the minutes on Page 6, under IX. OTHER, second line, striking the words: "or estimate" from that sentence. She stated that estimates were not needed because they got an official figure from Finance. Motion Mr. Walker made a motion to accept the minutes, as amended. Mr. McCray seconded the motion that carried unanimously. (Mr. Tim Hensley arrived at the meeting at 7:05 p:m.) V. RECEIPT OF BALANCE SHEETS - SEPTEMBER 2000 Ms. Kruse distributed the balance sheets to the Board, saying that she had just received them. Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida Novem ~)er 14, 2000 Motion Ms. Padgett made a motion to table the balance sheets until the Board had an opportunity to go over them in detail. Mr. McCray seconded the motion that carried unanimously. VI. RECEIPT OF SALES REPORTS - OCTOBER 2000 Motion Ms. Padgett made a motion to place the October Sales Reports on file. Mr. McCray seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Mr. Walker asked how many lots were available in Sara Simms Memorial Gardens? Ms. Kruse said there were 549 total lots available including infant lots. Mr. Walker wanted to know if the lots were being sold and Ms. Kruse said they were available but the City had not sold one for the last year. VI. CORRESPONDENCE Ms. Kruse said she had included, at the City Manager's suggestion, the letter Commissioner Black had written to staff. Mr. Nyquist stated that, for the record, he had not received the letter. He was seeing it for the first time at the meeting. Mr. Hensley stated that he took offense at the last sentence of the letter that questioned the Cemetery Board's ability to perform. He said he did not appreciate that and he would tell Commissioner Black. He stated that the Board was not perfect but they had tried to be accurate and fair with the citizens of Boynton Beach. He also felt that the letter had been an overreaction on Commissioner Black's part. Mr. McCray recalled a recent quote of Commissioner Black's in the newspaper that indicated the City should "get out of the (cemetery) business altogether" and that he had also taken offense and aired his grievance to the Commission about it. City Manager Bressner stated that Commissioner Black had expressed an opinion. After some discussion the Board decided it would be better to leave the matter alone. (At 7:10 p.m., Mr. Kurt Bressner, City Manager, arrived at the meeting.) VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Survey of Surrounding Cemetery Prices (Tabled) Cemetery Expansion (Tabled) Late Fee (Tabled) Vice Chair Nyquist made a motion to take Item VII.A off the table if there was any information on it. Ms. Kruse said that the information had been provided back in June but it was tabled pending the expansion plans. Ms. Padgett asked if there had been any direction from the City Manager? The Board decided that after Mr. Bressner's Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 presentation, items A, B and C of Unfinished Business would probably be addressed so it decided to hear what Mr. Bressner had to say before continuing with the Agenda. Mr. Nyquist withdrew his motion and made a new one. Motion Mr. Nyquist made a motion that the City Manager be allowed to give his report before proceeding with the agenda. Mr. McCray seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Mr. Kurt Bressner, City Manager Report 1) Late Fee Mr. Bressner stated that as to the late fee, the survey had indicated that five of the funeral home directors would pass on any such fee to the families under certain circumstances. He said the Cemetery Board had a choice of either eliminating the fee or altering it. Mr. Bressner agreed with the Cemetery Board that the operational side of the late fee had served its purpose. As a result of the late fee imposition, the communication between the funeral directors and the Cemetery staff'haS improved. A working relationship has been instituted between the funeral directors and the Cemetery staff in that if the funeral directors plan to arrive late (or early) at the cemetery, they telephone the Cemetery staff who then manages the funeral parties accordingly. The problem is that some members of the community have expressed that if the fee is assessed against a funeral home there is a possibility that it would be passed on to the family and there are some concerns in the community about the appropriateness and propriety of having the fee and the ability of the Cemetery Board to control it. The idea of establishing some kind of escrow account was discussed but it did not seem fair to many of the Board to have all of the funeral home directors pay into it when they were not all "at fault". According to Mr. Bressner's talks with Mr. Wildner, the probability and the actuality of the late fee being imposed was remote. Mr. Wildner and the Board would do their best not to impose it. Mr. Bressner said that it would be up to the Board if they wanted to keep the Ordinance on the books. Mr. Bressner said he understood and appreciated the reasons for the operational side but there had been some problems in the community as to how this could possibly impact families. He believed their concern was legitimate and that it needed to be taken into consideration by the Board. Mr. McCray said this Board has said that if anyone has a problem with the late fee they could come before the Board to explain why they were late and did not call, and that if they did this, the fee would not be imposed. He said that all cemeteries have rules and regulations and that funeral directors had to go by those rules and regulations. Professionals in the funeral business all hold licenses in the state of Florida and you know that you are governed and controlled by rules and regulations and you have statutes you have to follow. Mr. Bressner said that he understood that but if a family received a bill there was going to be a problem. He asked that a fail-safe system be set up where the situation of the family getting the bill could be avoided. 3 Meeting Minutes .... Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November14,2000 Ms. Padgett said the Board had asked for a legal opinion from the City Attorney as to whether the Cemetery Board could edict to the funeral homes that they would not pass the fee on to the families. Ms. Kruse said the verbal legal opinion was that the City.had no legal authority to interfere with private business practices. There is no way to enforce whether or not the directors pass along the fee. Mr. Bressner said that underscored his concern that the Board did not have the ability to interfere. He asked again that the Board consider some alternative system whereby the bill would not go to the families. Mr. McCray said that instead of setting up an escrow account, once a person goes to a funeral home and signs a contract, that contract is binding. Can we tell the five funeral homes to send the bill to us and we can deal with them instead of the families? Mr. Bressner said this would work if the funeral home did not inadvertently send the bill to the family anyway. He said it would be all too easy for someone at the funeral home to send the bill to the family. Mr. McCray said it was time to make a decision on the issue. Mr. Bressner said it was up to the Cemetery Board and not the Commission. Mr. Bressner said it would not matter if the bill was legitimate or not, the family would still be upset. Mr. McCray said the late fee would originate from the City and any bill would be prepared by the City and that, therefore, the City had control over the process. Offenders would see the Parks Director, John Wildner, who would determine whether a fee should be imposed. If the funeral home objected to his decision they could appeal to the Cemetery Board. Mr. Hensley asked if the Board had the right to rescind this even though the City Commission passed it? Mr. Bressner said yes and that the reason it passed is someone gave it to the City Commission who said, O.K., we'll pass it. Under the City's Code you have the authority to develop rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of the Cemetery. It should not even have come to the City Commission but it did. Mr. Hensley asked if the Board rescinded it, would it have the right to bring it back? Mr. Bressner said that the Board did have that right. He stated that if the Cemetery Board decided to rescind the policy, the Commission would still have to rescind the resolution for purposes of housekeeping. Mr. Hensley said he believed the Board was correct when it set up the fee and he still believed in it. Mr. McCray stated that the community would perceive the division in the City and that the Board should not "reinvent the wheel". Mr. McCray asked if it would have to go back before the City Commission to be reinstated if the Board rescinded it? Mr. Bressner stated the Cemetery Board could reinstate it on its own. The Board generally felt that the resolution should stay on the books in the interest of controlling the lack of notice on late arrivals. Ms. Padgett remarked that different attorneys had ruled differently in different years pertaining to fees and resolutions. Mr. Bressner said the fees for your openings and closings do have to be approved by the City Commission but not matters that pertain to the operation and maintenance of the cemetery. Mr. Bressner recommended that the Board not make a decision on the issue at this meeting. He offered to come back and have further conversations with Mr. Wildner in search of another method of giving everyone what they needed. He knew there was some value in controlling the funeral directors that did not call ahead. Ms. Padgett asked why people were not willing to try it 4 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 for awhile and see what happens? Mr. Walker commented that some people just do not want it. Mr. Bressner said that one alternative would be if the Board had a situation where a funeral home was basically late and didn't call and who got the fine after going through the whole review process. The Board could say, you pay the fee. If you do not pay the fee, you will not bury anybody in this cemetery. He said he would have to seek a legal opinion on that approach. Ms. Kruse said when she did the survey on the fees, Boca Raton told her that they imposed a fee and they would not let a funeral home come in and bury anyone in their cemetery until they had paid a $1,000 late fee. Mr. McCray said that families needed to be made aware that if they got a fee and did not want to pay it that they could take it up with the Department of Professional Regulation. Mr. Wildner asked, suppose I send, instead of a bill, a Notice of Intent to Bill with right of appeal? We would notify them that there would be no fine imposed unless and until they had met with the Parks Director and/or the Cemetery Board? This idea met with general interest among the Board members. Mr. Bressner stated that this was a better arrangement but that it was not an ironclad guarantee. It would give staff an opportunity to give them notice and staff could say yes you get the fee or no you do not. Staff could also say, "You are not going to charge the family." Mr. Hensley asked, how are we going to enforce that? Mr. Bressner stated that the Board could. Motion: Dave Nyquist made a motion to amend the Cemetery Schedule Policy adopted by the Board dated May 9, 2000, section 5, by adding a sentence after the first one which says that the Parks Director will send a Notice of Intent to Assess a Late Fee to the funeral home director. The policy already states that the funeral home may appeal to the Cemetery Board if dissatisfied with the Parks Director's decision. Ms. Padgett seconded the motion that carried unanimously. 2) Expansion of the Cemetery into Little League Park Mr. Bressner stated that this expansion would not be possible due to the wellheads there that were Still being used for potable water. He said that if the Board wished to consider expansion, it would have to examine alternative sites. He said there were some alternative sites it might want to consider, with the cooperation of the City Commission. He underslood that the trust fund could not be used for expansion or acquisition. However, he said that if the Cemetery Board and the City Commission feel it is in the public's interest to continue cemetery operations on beha f of all the citizens, it s not ~nconceivable for the Cemetery to purchase property out west, asking the Commission to borrow the money, use the revenue stream from the sale of plots within that cemetery to meet the debt service requirements in order to pay for the acquisition of the property. That would create a financial burden on your maintenance. Once you set up a cemetery then you c_~n apply your maintenance fund for all three properties and you would have to be very c~reful to see that the fund you have has enough reserves to handle the maintenance responsibilities at all three properties. I think with some careful planning it can be done but someone will have to do a financial analysis of what your cashflow Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 would be from the sale of plots in the new property in order to meet the debt service on the property's mortgage. There has been some talk about the Veterans Administration establishing a military cemetery. They are looking at several sites in Palm Beach County. It is not inconceivable, depending on whether they opt for something in this area, that a cooperative venture could be undertaken with them to develop an outparcel within the holdings that they acquire for the operation of a ciVilian enclave in the military cemetery. It would take some negotiation with the Veterans or the Board could buy it on their own. You need to have the Commission's approval, though, because they are the source of your funds since the Cemetery Board does not have a direct source of funds to acquire property. You don't have the legal authority to go out and borrow money to buy property. You have the legal authority to run a cemetery that has been established. If public demand calls for it you may wish to expand the cemetery. The bad news is that the wellheads preclude expansion into the Little League Field and the good news is that it may be possible to acquire an alternate site. The Board commented on the fact that the wells had salt intrusion and that they were last-on-first-off for the City and Mr. BreSsner confirmed both statements. He said they were used for peaking flow when the wells out west were drawing to capacity. Mr. Nyquist asked Mr. Bressner if he had ever gotten an answer as to whether the water plants were connected? Mr. Bressner said the system was connected, not the plants and the reservoir Control the pressure. Ms. Padgett reported that the Cemetery Board had sent minutes after minutes to the City Commission since she came on the Board in 1952, recommending that this area be reserved for the expansion of the cemetery and the Board had never received a reply. Ms. Padgett asked if Mr. Bressner thought the Cemetery Board had been treated fairly? He said he could only say that he was here tonight to give them the answers that he had and he regretted that he brought bad news. He said that the Utility Department needed those wells for the common good. The City had to juggle the needs of the Cemetery for additional space and the community need for a supply of reliable water. He believed that in this instance the need for water outweighed the need for expansion of the cemetery. Ms. Padgett asked if there were still salt water intrusion into the wells and Mr. Bressner replied that occasionally there was, during peak periods, and that they were not able to use the wells as often as they would like. Mr. Nyquist asked Mr. Bressner if the City would want to survey the City to see if the citizens wanted to expand the cemetery? He suggested putting something in the water bills. It would have to be worded very carefully. Ms. Padgett said she did not think the Board was ready to do that yet until the issues before it were more understood. This was the first time the Cemetery Board had been given an opinion from the City and she believed it required some further thought by the Board. Mr. McCray said that of all the correspondence that had been sent to the City Commission to give the Cemetery Board some kind of direction on which way the City wished to proceed, Mr. Bressner's visit at this meeting was the first time they had received any direction and he thanked Mr. Bressner. Mr. Bressner said he was glad to come and had come at the request of Ms. Kruse and Mr. Wildner. Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 3) Sara Simms Memorial Gardens Mr. Bressner said he hoped there would be a decision from the Board on the long-range appearance and function of the cemetery. He understood that landscape plans were underway. He asked that the Board consider incorporating into their plans for Sara Simms the same kind of wrought iron or mock wrought iron fencing that was being put in at Boynton Beach Memorial Park. He said that there was an issue of equality and that both cemeteries should reflect the same image. He hoped the enclosure that was there at present could be taken down and something more attractive put in its place. He believed that this would go a long way towards mending some of the concerns he had heard. He said there was some resistance on the part of people who did not want to use the cemetery because of its appearance. He said the Cemetery Board may wish to take the first step and spend some money on landscaping and put up a good fence, similar to the one at Boynton Memorial Cemetery. Mr. McCray asked what the City was doing about Barton Memorial Park? Mr. Wildner said it had been fixed up as a result of a youth activity program. The youth improved the appearance of the cemetery and constructed an entranceway. The youth cleaned up the cemetery and did a nice job and if the Board so desired, Barton Memorial Park could have further attention. He Said there was a large banyan tree there and a sound wall being placed by DOT caused a lot of trimming to be done. His office and DOT had quite a bit of communication about the appropriateness of the trimming and he believed the character of the area could be preserved. Chair Kuehn asked Mr. Bressner about the issue of upright headstones. She was told by a former mayor that if the City used upright headstones in Sara Simms Gardens it would look different from Boynton Memorial. She personally expressed fondness for the old headstones. Mr. Bressner said he and Mr. Wildner had discussed this before and he recognized that there was some resistance due to having to cut the grass but if this could be resolved, it would be a great idea to have upright headstones. Mr. Bressner spoke of a cemetery downtown in Downer's Grove, Illinois that had fallen into disrepair and the City and the historical society had refurbished all the tombstones and it really looked nice and became a real attraction. Mr. Wildner said he wanted to look at the size of the upright stones to make sure there was room between them to mow and he also wanted to look into mowers of appropriate size. Ms. Hall said she wanted to be sure nothing would be damaged during routine maintenance. Someone mentioned a weedwacker as a possible alternative for between the stones only. Mr. McCray said that the Board had to keep focused on the fact that there were still members of the community who had loved ones buried in Sara Sims Memorial Park. Mr. Hensley asked what the plans were for Martin Luther King Corridor? Mr. Bressner said the City was waiting to find out whether they had gotten a planning grant from the State but it would be doing a number of development alternatives for Martin Luther King Corridor involving the community and coming up with some design plans and actually doing some business. When I say Martin Luther King Corridor, I am talking from 1-95 to the Intracoastal Waterway. The Board said that was close but not in the immediate area. Mr. Bressner offered to incorporate any planning issues the Board might want in the plans for the Martin Luther King Corridor. 7 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 4) Cemetery Budget Mr. Bressner said he agreed with the request from the Board for a better budget. He said the chart of accounts was shared and there was not a really accurate way to account for uses and sources. He said he could not do anything until next fiscal year but he had asked staff to develop a subsidiary ledger and begin tracking expenses as if it were a separate bud get. At least there will be some good experience of the true cost of services. At this time the estimated numbers show an expense of $154,000 as opposed to $95,000 revenues coming in. This means that, according to our projections, the expenses are about $59,000 over the revenues; however, we do not know if that is true. These are educated guesses only. He said he would work with Diane Reese and John Wildner to get the ledger sheets prepared. Mr. McCray asked if they could be gotten to the Board members before the meeting and Mr. Bressner responded in the affirmative. Mr. Wildner mentioned that for the month of October some hand ledgers had been started and they would confirm it with the finance department. The Board extended its thanks to Mr. Bressner for coming to the meeting and' extending his cooperation. A) Survey of Surrounding Cemetery Prices. Motion Mr. Nyquist made a motion to take the item off the table for discussion since Ms. Kruse had the prices. Ms. Kruse stated that the survey had been done in June and the clerk called places and got prices but the Board tabled the item pending cemetery expansion developments. The thought at the time was that if Boynton Memorial Park was going to be the only cemetery, the Board may want to raise the prices. Mr. Nyquist withdrew his motion. The Board decided that agenda item VIII B and C had been covered previously. D. Memorial Monument for Unmarked Dead Motion Mr. Hensley made a motion to remove this item from the table. Mr. Nyquist seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Ms. Kruse stated that the members were going to interview the older people of the town to see what they thought about the idea of having this monument. Chair Kuehn said Harvey thought it was a wonderful idea to put a monument in the south end of the old section where there are currently no markers. Chair Kuehn pointed out the area on a map that represented the area she had in mind. Mr. Hensley said that the center section would be really beautiful and Ms. Padgett liked it too. Chair Kuehn wanted to put the monument in the area that actually contained the remains of the unmarked dead but 8 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 others felt that the center section would be better, with a mention of the unmarked dead in the old section. Having it in the center section would be a marker for the unmarked dead in the entire cemetery, not just that one particular section. Mr. Hensley thought that the monument should be approved first and then decide on the location afterwards. Ms. Hall said that the style of the monument might change if it were in a circle rather than a square so the two things may have to be considered concurrently. Mr. Wildner said that Lake Worth Monument could come up with a free form price to the size the Board desired. It was $520 for the upright and $1,530 for the round one. Ms. Hall said the ground inside the circle with the high curb could be raised up to the level of the curb so the monument would be up higher. Mr. Hensley said that if it was going to be dedicated it needed to be larger than a normal monument like five feet, something that would draw attention when a person drove in. Ms. Padgett thought it should be dedicated to all unmarked graves in the cemetery and put in the circle. Mr. Nyquist, Mr. McCray, Mr. Walker, and Ms. Kruse all agreed as well. Mr. Wildner will go back to Lake Worth Monument and work with Ms. Hall to decide how tall the monument should be. Mr. McCray said the representative from Lake Worth Monument should come out to the cemetery site and see for himself what the appropriate size should be for that location. The Board thanked Mr. Wildner. Motion Mr. Hensley made a motion to put it back on the table. Mr. Nyquist seconded the motion that carried unanimously. E) Use of Mausoleum Chapel Motion Mr. Nyquist made a motion to remove this item from the table for discussion. Mr. Hensley seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Ms. Kruse stated that the City Attorney asked for something in writing where a legal opinion had been given to the Board previously regarding the use of the mausoleum chapel. He continues to maintain that the City only has the maintenance rights. Mr. Hensley asked if he had discussed it with Jim Cherof and Ms. Kruse said no. She could not find it in any minutes. Motion Mr. Hensley made a motion to send a memo to Mr. Cherof asking him to discuss this issue with Mr. Igwe and come to an opinion on it. The letter should ask Mr. Cherof to review his notes from a previous occasion when the topic arose. After discussion, Mr. Hensley amended the motion to put the item back on the table. Mr. Nyquist seconded the motion that carried unanimously. F) Sara Simms Memorial Gardens Sign Motion Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 Mr. Hensley made a motion to remove this item from the table. Mr. Walker seconded the motion that carded unanimously. Ms. Glenda Hall asked for some input from the Board on the sign. Mr. McCray wanted to wait for the fence to be resolved and Mr. Wildner stated it should all be planned at one time including the sign, the fence and the landscaping. The Board decided to discuss the sign and the landscaping at the same time during Ms. Hall's report. MS. Hall said she had not been at work very long in the past few months and shared a map of Sara Simms Memorial Gardens with the Board members. She said that Staff was suggesting putting a sign on the property of Heritage Park, which had the advantages of City water, so there would be no staining of the sign. She discussed the existing gumbo-limbo trees and the plan to add a few more, leaving it open for a future fence change. Ms. Padgett thought the landscaping would be inside the fence and Ms. Hall said not entirely. Staff did not recommend putting the landscaping inside the fence. Staff is considering putting a zigzag opening in the perimeter so that people who wanted to visit graves would not have to be accompanied by someone from the City. A zigzag opening would prohibit a car or motorcycle from entering but would allow pedestrian traffic to walk in. The zigzag opening would only be on one end so there would not be traffic going entirely across the cemetery to exit on the other side. Ms. Hall said that the existing trees need to be cleaned out or "legged" up, so they could be seen through. Also, plants should be placed underneath them so people are not able 'to stand underneath the trees. Mr. McCray asked if the trees would be inside the fence or out and Ms. Hall responded that they were on both sides at the moment but that most were on the outside. Mr. McCray said the trees were attracting beer drinking and crack selling. This is the reason he wanted the trees placed inside the cemetery. Ms. Hall said she did not know where the burial plots were on the inside of the cemetery. Mr. Wildner said that they were recommending removing the existing chain link fence and erecting a wrought iron look fence along the road boundaries and move it forward. Mr. McCray said he wanted the wrought iron fence brought out further and any trees planted behind the fence. Mr. Wildner said they were considering putting the wrought iron look fence on the southern perimeter and keeping chain link on the rest. Ms. Hall suggested putting the z~gzag opening in first and see how it worked in the neighborhood before attempting the rest of the fence. The City has taken a close look at the broken beer bottles in the parking lot and tennis court, a nightly event. Because the cemetery is fenced in the problem does not eXist in the cemetery. Many walk-through or zigzag gates do not have the potential of being Iocl~ed but Ms. Hall said that this one would have to have that capability. Mr. McCray said he hoped he would not walk through the area one night and see a football game going on in the cemetery. Everyone said the police should be called in that case. Mr. Nyquist thought it would be a problem if it could not be locked at night. Mr. McCray asked if Parks had seen trash being thrown over the fence into the cemetery and the response was no. Ms. Padgett said that when they had a lower fence, trash was thrown over into the cemetery and, therefore, it may be better to keep the existing fence. Chair Kuehn asked why the plants were not put on the outside and Ms. Padgett replied that they would not stay there. 10 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 The Board thought it would be a good idea to start small with the landscaping improvements to the cemetery, fix up the trees that are there, and put in the zigzag fence as a phase one effort. Ms. Hall explained the overall landscaping plans for Sara Simms Memorial Gardens including the types of plant material and trees that would be used. She planned to use landscaping boulders to prevent people from driving through. The irrigation would have to be updated and expanded to accommodate the extra landscaping. Ms. Hall recommended rocks, boulders, a fine grass with plumes, ilex, royal plumbago, firebush, and foxtail ferns. Similar materials would be put in under the palm clumps when they have been cleaned up. Some palms may be added as well. . The Board discussed the phasing issue with Ms. Hall who said that contractors preferred to bid entire jobs at one time and not phases. She said a contractor had once given her a bid of $10,000, which included 21 Sabal palms, 7 gumbo limbos, and other plant material, installed, but no irrigation or reseeding. Mr. Nyquist asked if it had been broken down in written form? Ms. Hall said she would ask the contractor for a quote and breakdown. The Board thought the job could be separated into three phases: landscaping, fence, and sign. Ms. Hall was asked to get prices for the N.W. 9th Street, the northern section and the western section. The Board wanted a price on the fence but they wanted to concentrate on the walk through section and the landscaping first. The fence area would be 440 feet. Mr. Nyquist then said he expected to see four bids come in: three for the landscaping, one for the gate, and one for the repairs of the fence. Mr. Nyquist said that where the sign was going to be would be one estimate, coming down S.W. 9th Court would be estimate #2, the back part with the parking lot would be estimate #3, and the north side (landscaping would be estimate #4, and the gate and the repair to the north fence would be estimate #5. Mr. Wilder said he would take the information from the minutes and bring back the prices to the Board. Ms. Hall said when she brought in proposals and the Board made changes.and she went back to the contractor, she may lose him and have to start over. She could get a quote for all four areas at one time, priced separately to give them a ballpark figure for each phase. The Parks Dept will get a price from one contractor for all five phases and bring back to Board. Once the design is fully agreed to by the Board, the Parks Department can go out for bids to multiple vendors, which may help on the price. Ms. Hall mentioned that Dan DeCarlo, the Neighborhood Project Specialist, also had funds that could possibly be used to defray the landscaping cost to the Cemetery Board. Discussion of irrigation and sidewalks at the Sara Simms Memorial Gardens took place. The Parks Department will ask the Public Works Department if they could put a sidewalk on their schedule although it could take up to a year to see it done. Mr. Nyquist asked for copies of Ms. Hall's completed drawings and asked that Ms. Kruse mail them to the Board along with the agenda packet for the January meeting. Ms. Padgett stated that she would prefer to see the cemetery improvements presented a section at a time and that the Board needed to do a walk-through on the site. She said it 11 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Flodda November 14, 2000 was very hard to visualize without being on the scene. She said the Board needed to view and discuss the situation at the site. Cemetery Sign for Sara Simms Memorial Gardens Ms. Hall said she went to Jeff Industries, a supplier the City uses for their Welcome to Boynton Beach signs. She passed around a sign sample from Jeff Industries made of polyresin. In response to a question about the City Manager's opinion, Mr. Wildner stated that the Assistant City Manager did not want a sign made in the City shop. He wanted to make sure the City did not slight Sara Simms Memorial Gardens. Ms. Hall said that the sign would cost $1200 for a 4' x 6' sign and that the City normally erects signs. The sign was guaranteed for weather but not vandalism. Mr. Wildner said that the Board had to consider the conditions at the cemetery and that the wood, sand- blasted signs deteriorated quickly. The polyresin sign was an alternative for the weather but it would not be good for vandalism. Ms. Padgett stated she still believed any sign should be presented to the Assistant City Manager before bringing it to the Cemetery Board for his approval. The sign location and size was also discussed. Ms. Hall said she had to consult the City's Code since it had changed and now required signs to be quite Iow. Mr. McCray asked that the sign requirements also be included in the next meeting's agenda packet. G. Reports on Cemetery Areas Assigned to Members No problems were reported. H. Parks Department Report Mr. Wildner distributed a written report to the Board. He reported that the fence should be completed by the first week in December. Facilities Maintenance has the cemetery maintenance building on the painting schedule for January or February of 2001. There had been some questions about the front entranceway to the main cemetery. He had asked Ms. Hall to take a look at the hedge material at the entrance from Seacrest, in the median. Ms. Hall said that this section was not irrigated. There is a hose bib there from when they were trying to pressure clean the walls and they could not find the water source for it. The trees in the middle are rooted in and the roots would make it difficult for planting. The irrigation is uneven in the area. The areas that are growing are getting irrigation overspray from across the road. Ms. Padgett asked if they could check again. She recalled at one point long ago there had been flowers in there. Ms. Hall said the tree roots could have grown over things and cracked pipes and people cut them off and it is no longer in existence. Mr. Hensley asked if water could be run to it? Ms. Hall said the tree roots would present a problem. Mr. Wildner said they might be able to put some pipe on top and conceal it with the plants. Ms. Hall said that there was high shade in the area, constantly falling leaves, and she was still trying to think of a suitable plant material. One possibility would be a fingernail bromeliad. She also thought of 12 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 aspidistra, which tolerates full shade, Iow and high water. It doesn't like sun. Mr. Nyquist asked about the cost of the project. Ms. Hall said it was approximately two hundred feet by four and a half feet and the price would depend on the plant material chosen. It was thought that $1,000 would be required for the job. Mr. Nyquist said this would really spruce up the circle, r The Board decided the fingernail bromeliads would be suitable. Motion Mr. Nyquist made a motion to landscape the island in Boynton Beach Memorial Cemetery with fingernail bromeliads for a cost of $1,000 or less. Mr. Hensley seconded the motion. Mr. Wildner asked for clarification on the hedges for the west side of the mausoleum. No one recalled having brought it up at the last Board meeting, which began at the mausoleum. Mr. Wildner agreed that Sections X, Y and Z needed to be raised, He said the crew would try to fit that in this winter. It seemed to him that the graves were sinking faster in that section of the cemetery and it was thought that this could be because the ground was Iow and wet, Those conditions would likely lead to the raising only being a temporary improvement, he said. Mr. Wildner shared some information from Arbor Tree on pruning and crown thinning of mature trees, in it he speaks about crown thinning which allows wind to blow through it so the trees are not damaged by wind. He offered to come out and speak to anyone who was interested during the day. Mr. Nyquist asked if the cemetery workers could be put on a rotating schedule of pruning the new growth every three months? Ms. Hall said they could try. Mr. Wildner also distributed a report by Mr. Aniki, detailing the activities in the Cemetery for the month of October. Ms. Padgett asked if Mr. Wildner's reports could come to the Board at the same time as the agenda material and Mr. Wildner said he would see to it. VIII. NEW BUSINESS Request for refund of $180.00 for Lot 435B, Block S, Boynton Beach Memorial Park, requested by Patricia A. Sheehan Motion Mr. Hensley made a motion to refund the money for Lot 435B, Block S, to Ms. Sheehan. Mr. Nyquist seconded the motion that carried unanimously. The Board decided that Agenda items B, C, and D had been covered during the City Manager's section of the meeting. 13 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida November 14, 2000 IX. OTHER Ms. Padgett said that a lady was robbed at 3:00 p.m. in front of the mausoleum on a Sunday afternoon and she wondered if the police had been notified? No one knew of any report made to the police. Ms. Hall said she heard she had left her purse in the car unlocked. Ms. Padgett said her husband was buried in the mausoleum and she had gotten some money to buy a bed and decided to make a visit and saw a green car go by several times so she waited till that car left and a second car pulled in and there were two or three people in it. She saw them reach into her oar and take the purse. She had an operation that damaged her vocal cords so she could not yell so she was helpless. She went across the street to see if the fruit stand people had seen it. They told her that if she went there first and told them, they would be glad to keep an eye on things for her. Everyone thought this was very Iow and hoped that when the fence was up it would help the situation. X. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was duly adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Reporting Secretary (three tapes) 14