Cemetery Commission Meeting: January 13, 2025

Present: Lynne Grettum, Greg Miranda, Mike Warren, Melissa Cumming, O’Neill Mazyck
Absent: Paul Constantino
The meeting was called to order by Chair Grettum at 7:07 P.M.
Review of Meeting Minutes from December 3, 2024
The meeting minutes from December 3, 2024 were reviewed by members and approved as
written by unanimous vote, 4-0.
Superintendent Report (see attached report for details)
• No burials; two lots sold – one full lot in Woodlawn, one cremation lot in North Cemetery.
• Superintendent Mazyck presented an idea to put a veterans’ memorial monument in one or
more cemeteries which would list all of the veterans buried in those locations. Members
thought a memorial in Woodlawn might be impractical due to the numbers involved, but
were interested in the concept as a future possibility.
• Discussion took place regarding closure of the entrance gate at Woodlawn Cemetery to
winter traffic. This is the only cemetery in town with an interior roadway, but it can’t be
plowed in winter so the gate is closed once snow makes the road impassible. Members
desire keeping the entrance accessible to foot traffic. However, the current gate setup
doesn’t leave space to walk through when fully closed, and there are safety/liability
concerns to making visitors climb over/under a chain or cable if left open partway.
Installing a blocking-post in the ground for next year would be possible after spring thaw.
Some members found the orange plastic barriers currently blocking the entrance to be
unsightly, though practical. Superintendent Mazcyk will speak to Ben Metcalf about
possible alternative options.
• M. Cumming volunteered to decorate the planters at Woodlawn entrance with evergreens
for the winter.
Review QR Sign Quote
M. Cumming spoke to a representative from Perma-Line, the approved vendor for all town road
signage, about a quote to fabricate signs to post QR codes at all cemetery entrances. The QR
code will link to an online copy of the Cemetery Rules and Regulations. The cost would be
about $410 for 8 signs. Members approved, and Melissa will work with vendor to obtain a
design for final approval.
FY26 Budget Update
Chair Grettum presented an update after attending budget meeting.
• The town may seek an override.
2
• The full $3000 for our Miscellaneous Fund was included in the Highway Department
budget request.
Long Range Plan – Mission and Vision Statements
Prior to the meeting, Chair Grettum had provided members with some helpful examples of
statement language used by other towns. There was some discussion about the difference
between mission and vision statements. It was decided that the ‘vision’ would be clearer after
determining the rest of the plan, and that was statement was saved for later.
There was extensive discussion around the mission statement, utilizing both the members’
contributions and the examples from other towns. Several core functions emerged, including
maintaining and enhancing the physical assets of the town cemeteries, with an environment
suitable for grieving and commemorations, and providing supportive burial services. A rough
draft was composed, which L. Grettum was going to revise and distribute to members for review.
In order to facilitate the composition of the remaining elements of the Long Range Plan as
described in the Town “Program or Department Plan Outline”, some initial responsibilities were
assigned for the gathering of necessary information:
• L. Grettum – target group; capture rate
• M. Cumming – offerings of the organization
• M. Warren – resources needed to deliver the offerings
• G. Miranda – pricing of cemetery department services
Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours before meeting
None.
Topics for Upcoming Meeting
The primary topic for meetings in the next few months will concern the composition of the Long
Range Plan for the Cemetery Department.
Schedule Next Meeting
Chair Grettum scheduled the next meeting for Monday February 10, 2025 to start at 7:00 P.M. in
the Town Hall Annex – Small Meeting Room and remotely by GoToMeeting.
Additionally, the meeting date for the May meeting was changed from 5/12/25 to 5/5/25, due to a
conflict with the Town Election on the original date.
A motion was made to adjourn, seconded, and passed unanimously.
Meeting adjourned at 8:50 P.M.
Submitted by Greg Miranda, Clerk