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Minutes 09-10-96 MINUTES OF THE CEMETERY BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM "A", CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1996, AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Tim Hensley, Chairman John Wildner, Parks Superintendent Tereesa Padgett, Vice Chairperson Mike Tolliver, Equip. Operator I Sue Kruse, Secretary Betty Boroni Frances Cleary Candace Smith, Alternate I. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Hensley called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. ATTENDANCE Secretary Kruse called the roll. Mike Tolliver was also in attendance. John Wildner had not yet arrived. III. AGENDA APPROVAL Ms. Cleary moved approval of the agenda. Ms. Smith seconded the motion which carried unanimously. IV. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRPERSON Ms. Cleary nominated Ms. Padgett as Vice Chairperson. Ms. Boroni seconded the nomination which carried unanimously. Chairman Hensley pointed out that there is a lot of "new blood" on this board, and that should be considered when a new election takes place in April. John Wildner arrived at 7:05 p.m. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - August 13, 1996 Ms. Smith moved to approve. Ms. Cleary seconded the motion which carried unanimously. VI. RECEIPT OF BALANCE SHEETS - August, 1996 Ms. Smith questioned whether the money invested in First Federal Savings and Loan is in Certificates of Deposit. Secretary Kruse responded affirmatively. Ms. Smith advised that she will contact Diane Reese about this investment. 1 MEETING MINUTES CEMETERY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 Ms. Padgett further realized that Government Pool is not doing very well. She thinks this is an area that needs further investigation. Chairman Hensley is of the opinion that the board should invest a portion of this money with a financial advisor. Secretary Kruse advised that the pension fund interest rate has dropped a great deal. The Employees' Pension Board will be meeting shortly to discuss the possibility of selecting a new investment manager in place of Barnett Bank. Chairman Hensley looked at the ten-year rate of return for the Firefighters' fund. That return averaged approximately 12%. He suggested that the board wait until after Christmas and then bring this issue forward again for more serious discussion. Ms. Smith suggested that the members may want to take a small portion (approximately $50,000) and invest it with a financial advisor or in mutual funds to see what happens. She reminded everyone, however, that the higher the return, the greater the risk. Ms. Padgett explained that she does not want to take a big risk with these funds. Chairman Hensley agreed, and said he would not want to do anything more than what some of the pension funds are currently doing. He feels that with safe, conservative investments, earnings capacity can be increased. In response to a question from Ms. Cleary, Mr. Wildner explained that the new piece of equipment was assigned an account number; however, he could not recall the specific number. It will probably be charged to "General Equipment". To date, the account has not been charged and that could well be because the supplier has not yet provided us with an invoice. In response to Ms. Padgett's question, Secretary Kruse advised that the $400 under "Contractual Services" covers the fence. Ms. Padgett questioned whether or not there was anything new to report on the carpet. Secretary Kruse said she wrote a letter to Mr. Osborne, but has not had a response. During the last meeting, Glenda Hall mentioned that she has been looking at rugs at Home Depot. Mr. Wildner said there was no serious consideration to use Home Depot as a source. This issue has not been pursued because he is waiting for direction from the board. Mr. Wildner will have Ms. Hall pursue this issue if that is the board's desire. Ms. Cleary recalled that the indoor flea market at Jog Road and Lake Worth Road had a large selection. Mr. Wildner expressed some concern about matching the existing rugs. He questioned Mr. Pfaff about where Mr. Osborne purchased the rugs. Mr. Osborne could not remember who supplied the rugs. Mr. Wildner offered to pursue this with Mr. Osborne at the board's request. Ms. Padgett feels it might be necessary to sell one of the existing rugs and purchase two new 2 MEETING MINUTES CEMETERY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 rugs. Mr. Pfaff confirmed for Secretary Kruse that the door does not close tightly unless someone specifically shuts it. Mr. Wildner said Facilities Management checked to see if there was anything they could do; however, they feel they cannot do anything to stop this. Ms. Cleary asked if the members felt it would be inappropriate to put a sign on the door urging people to make certain the door is tightly closed. Mr. Wildner did not feel this would be inappropriate. Secretary Kruse advised that she received a list of the names of the people who hold keys to the Mausoleum. These eight people and the cemetery crew can be advised of the need to make sure the door is closed tightly. Motion Ms. Padgett moved that the report be placed on file. Ms. Clearly seconded the motion. No vote was taken. VII. RECEIPT OF SALES REPORTS - August, 1996 Motion Ms. Padgett moved that this report be placed on file. Ms. Smith seconded the motion. No vote was taken. VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Parks Department Mr. Wildner reported that he was away for several weeks on military leave and vacation. Upon his return, he learned that as of the weekend of September 6, 1996, all line trimming in the cemetery had been completed. The crew is currently working on the hedges. We received the front-end loader/back hoe and tractor on August 19, 1996. This piece of equipment cannot fit into the existing garage and, therefore, it is parked at the East Water Treatment Plant. With regard to the item about cemetery salaries that was brought up at the last meeting, Mr. Wildner advised that the majority of the increase shown ($16,000 of the $20,000) represents the potential pay out to Bill Hilliard when he retires. Mr. Hilliard rarely took sick time or his full vacation over the years. Because he is a long-term employee, he is covered under an older plan. New employees are not able to build up as much sick time and will probably not be able to achieve this level. City Manager Parker was aware of how the salary figure came about, and she did not make any changes to the budget. 3 MEETING MINUTES CEMETERY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 Ms. Padgett confirmed with Secretary Kruse that the $55,000 transfer from the Cemetery Trust Fund into the General Fund will remain the same in the next fiscal year's budget. Chairman Hensley pointed out that the employees who operate the back hoe seem to like the new piece of equipment. Mr. Tolliver said the new equipment is excellent and the workers have found other uses for this piece of equipment. This equipment has made the operation more efficient. In response to Ms. Padgett's question, Mr. Wildner advised that this equipment is not stored inside because it will not fit into the existing building. The rafters and the ceiling are too low. Mr. Wildner checked into the possibility of erecting a carport. Facilities Management advised that it would cost approximately $5,000 for an aluminum carport to be added to the existing building. Staff does not see a need for this type of covering. This size and type of equipment is expected to be stored outside. Chairman Hensley asked if Utilities' has borrowed this equipment yet. Mr. Wildner responded negatively and advised that their equipment is stronger. Chairman Hensley requested that Mr. Wildner provide a record of the times the equipment is borrowed by another City department for use in other areas. He asked that this information be provided with the monthly report. Ms. Cleary inquired as to whether or not there are any parts of the equipment that should be covered to help sustain its life. Mr. Wildner responded negatively. Mr. Tolliver advised that there is one covering over the gauges which prevents vandalism. The seat is weatherproof. Mr. Wildner will look at the equipment to see if there is anything that can be done in addition to what has already been designed to add to its life. If covering the seat will help, staff will find a way to do that. He will report back at the next meeting. 2. Reports on Cemetery Areas Assigned to Members Ms. Cleary inspected the cemetery last week and feels it is being well taken care of. Her only concern is the headstones in the old section. She asked if anything can be done with them. One of the stones is toppling over. Mr. Wildner advised that no attempt has been made to contact the families because it is believed that those families would be difficult to locate. Ms. Cleary said the "Dame" stone is the one she is particularly concerned about. Ms. Padgett asked if it would be possible to level these stones even a little bit. Mr. Wildner said it is difficult to find the time to work on these stones. Mr. Tolliver said he and Mr. Hilliard have raised a few of them. However, because of the size of the stones, it is a very big job to take the stones off the ground, reset the foundations and put them back in place. Mr. Wildner will look at these stones. 4 MEETING MINUTES CEMETERY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 Ms. Boroni did not have an opportunity to inspect her area because she was away on vacation. Ms. Smith said her areas look good, but she noticed a lot of weeds. Mr. Wildner advised that the weeds have crept in over a number of years. Staff will have to work very hard to eliminate the weeds because weed killer alone will not do the job in some sections. It is possible that some resodding may be necessary in certain areas. Ms. Padgett did not have an opportunity to inspect her area, but visited the cemetery on several occasions last week. She noticed that trimming is needed. Mr. Wildner reported that the crew finished all of the line trimming just before the holiday. By the time they finish all sections, it is time to begin again. Chairman Hensley reported that he was not able to inspect Sara Simms. Mr. Wildner made an inspection of Sara Simms and found that the Bahia had seed heads on it. He made a call to make sure it was mowed. He further reported that the Police Chief has made a concerted effort to combat crime in the north end. One of the things he did was encourage the dominoes players to move on. The visqueen and sofas were removed. This is a major accomplishment. Chairman Hensley feels that if things begin to happen on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and the neighborhood turns around, the board should take a hard look at that cemetery again. Mr. Wildner is optimistic that we will see some good results in this area because of the efforts of our City Commission. He feels we might be able to encourage people who live in the area to purchase plots in that cemetery if the area improves. 3. Report on First Budget Hearing held on September 4, 1996 (Final Budget Hearing scheduled on Tuesday, September 17, 1996, at 7:00 p.m.) Secretary Kruse reported that the first budget hearing was very quiet. The Resolution was read. No one from the public spoke, and the Commission did not discuss any items. Once the Resolution was passed setting the millage and approving the budget, Commissioner Tillman requested that additional funds be added to the budget for minority recruitment for the Police Department. 4. Replacement of Mausoleum Carpet This item was addressed earlier in the meeting. Chairman Hensley asked if the members want to wait one additional month to make a decision while staff gets prices on this item. 5 MEETING MINUTES CEMETERY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 Ms. Padgett suggested changing the seating arrangement around the existing carpet. If the chairs are placed in a semi-circle, it may not be obvious that one carpet is missing. Chairman Hensley said he would like to see how thick the carpet is so that he can be certain there will not be a problem with the rolling device. Ms. Padgett explained that on the side that has only one carpet, it may be possible to rearrange the chairs. Chairman Hensley felt it might look awkward. He recommended that the board meet at the cemetery next month at 6:00 p.m. to look at this situation. The regular monthly meeting will follow at the Mausoleum. IX. NEW BUSINESS Although this is not new business, Ms. Padgett reminded Mr. Wildner that the chairs were supposed to be sprayed. She pointed out that some of them are scratched. Mr. Wildner said he will look at them, and they will be sprayed if it is appropriate. A decision was made to spray them "Hunter Green". Mr. Wildner advised that he received a letter from the Mausoleum construction company asking the City to remove two trees from the north side of the cemetery. At this point, staff is not sure we want to comply with this request. One of the trees is a tremendous Ficus. In the past, we removed a Ficus tree as a courtesy. Mr. Wildner has discussed this recent request with Mr. Hallahan, and the normal procedure would be for the construction company to remove and replace the trees. The second smaller tree involved is a Black Olive which is located in the line of trees close to Woolbright Road. That tree will interfere with the edge of the Mausoleum because it will be within 15' of the fence. At the current time, staff's inclination is to decline the request and suggest that the contractor move the trees. It is a possibility that this Black Olive tree can be moved to one of the locations where the trees have died. Chairman Hensley inquired as to the deadline for Mr. Osborne to begin building the new Mausoleum. Secretary Kruse advised that construction must begin when space in the present Mausoleum is 80% sold. However, construction usually begins before that deadline. Chairman Hensley recalls that there is also a deadline associated with the sale of the first niche or crypt. X. OTHER None XI. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the board, Ms. Padgett moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:51 p.m. Ms. Cleary seconded the motion which carried unanimously. 6 MEETING MINUTES CEMETERY BOARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA SEPTEMBER 10, 1996 Janet M. Prainito Recording Secretary (One Tape) 7