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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-04-23 MinutesABANDONED CEMETERY COMMITTEE April 23, 2015 Meeting Room 1A Present: Anne Greentree, Municipal Clerk Bob Genosko, Parks Supervisor Teresa Aide, Cemetery Services & Records Clerk John Bate, Elected Chair Kim Vaneyk Laura Suchan Jim Lowe Todd Taylor Angie Ball Nancy Trimble Absent: Councillor Ron Hooper Anne Greentree chaired in the absence of a member of Council 1. NEW BUSINESS (a) All committee members introduced themselves and shared their reasons for wanting to join the Abandoned Cemetery Committee and how they would like to add to the Committee. They then expressed their thoughts on what the Committee might focus on, including: • maintaining the stones • obtaining pictures before stones erode • collecting data regarding motifs • working with the genealogist society gathering their information • upkeep and enhancement of the cemeteries • visiting the cemeteries • would like to assist with computer accessibility • would like to find out the story behind the stone. • having the information indexed/uploaded/linked for all abandoned cemeteries including all names and pictures. Anne suggested to the committee that they develop a plan and time schedule. There will be an Abandoned Cemetery binder created for each member. Anne informed the committee of the benefits of the Stone Orchard Software, developing a web portal or cell phone app with GPS co-ordinate to direct to the burial/marker site. Anne suggested to gather information from the Genealogist Society and Heritage Committee to save the Abandoned Cemetery Committee from gathering redundant information. Stones have one story and burial permits have another. Resources for merging the information include sources such as “Billion Graves” and “Find a Grave”. Laura suggested posting information regarding the Abandoned Cemeteries and the Committee actions on the Municipal Website. Bob informed the committee that all Abandoned Cemeteries will be maintained by a municipal contractor. Sue Hajnik, Operations Technician, oversees the municipal contractors. He also informed the committee that they have a budget of approximately $10,000, Bob will confirm the amount at the next meeting. John suggested that the committee go on tours of all the Abandoned Cemeteries to determine the course of action that the committee decides to take regarding any maintenance issues. Adopting minutes from last meeting – July 3, 2014 Moved by Laura Suchan, seconded by Nancy Trimble That the Committee adopt the minutes from the last meeting, July 3, 2014. Carried Election of Chair Nominations opened for chair. Laura nominated John Bate as Chair for the entire term. John Bate accepted nomination. Anne closes nomination. Nominations were closed. The vote was called and carried. John Bate assumed the Chair. - 2 - Accessibility Training Anne informed the Committee that they are required by law to take Accessibility Training. All members have a copy of the websites for the modules to be completed to receive their certificate along with their signature on the Verification of Training which must be submitted in the Clerk’s Department. Teresa will also be emailing all members the websites of the modules to be completed. Anne will confirm if Todd and John have already submitted their certificates as they had already taken the training. Conflict of Interest Anne highlighted the Municipal “Conflict of Interest Act”. Other Business Anne informed the committee that all of their meetings are open to the public but not necessarily all of their activities. John suggested sending out a letter to all previous grass cutters thanking them from their work. Anne will look into the procedures of the Purchasing Department. John informed the committee about the fence donated by the 407, sitting at the Cemetery in Hampton, that requires about $8,000 to be erected. Nancy suggested a solution for the stone cleaning as opposed to the pressure washing of any stones. Bob confirmed that the 407 does not impact on any of the abandoned cemeteries. Bob informed the committee that the Operations Department inspects all Abandoned Cemeteries for safety. Anne informed the committee that she received correspondence from “Doors Open” requesting permission to attend the Lawrence Beck Cemetery for their event. Moved by Kim Vaneyk, seconded by Nancy Trimble That the request to include Lawrence Beck Cemetery on the Clarington Doors Open 2015 site be endorsed, provided they provide proof of insurance. Carried - 3 - Kim welcomed everyone on the committee to volunteer in the “Doors Open” event which will be held on the second Saturday of June, the 13th. Moved by Angie Ball, seconded by Laura Suchan That the meeting adjourn at 5:22pm. Carried - 4 -