Halifax Cemetery Commission
Regular Meeting
Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 1:30 PM
Halifax Town Office, 246 Branch Road, West Halifax, VT
Or Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7814490827?pwd=bTRLMCtDdzgrR2NndWV5andxTG0vUT09
Attendees: Linda Swanson, Gary Rand, Laurel Copeland
DRAFT MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER at 1:44 pm
CHANGES AND/OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA – Brad Lackey as Other Business. Add meeting minutes approval.
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES – May 15th minutes were reviewed and approved with cosmetic and grammatical changes.
NEW BUSINESS
Whitneyville progress – We are done with the clean-up of the grounds. All trees inside the cemetery posing a danger to headstones were removed (32 trees). The brush was burned; the burn area was seeded and hayed; logs were piled by the road for Cersosimo to chip. The Cemetery Commission will level and clean stones in the future. LS commented that she would like to apply for a VOCA grant for that remaining work. For this we need an estimate to cover the costs (labor; supplies; fill).
Funds management and projections – LS will prepare a spreadsheet including what we have spent already, amounts available (Niles Fund already expended; reserve funds remaining; FY2024 funds expected; Cemetery Funds in TD Bank).
OLD BUSINESS
Fulfilling requests for plots – LS met with one person regarding Halifax Center. We should schedule the GPR for this fall to determine where we can have a full burial. Another person looked at Hatch yesterday with LS & GR who explained the probe results; the commission feels that the barriers might only be gravel (at ~30” depth).
VOCA grant LC will draft VOCA grant for $1000 (we match with $500) to clean and level stones in Whitneyville. Proposal must specify the inventory of stones to be repaired with photos of 6-8 stone, costs — Bonstone Duropoxi ($43/2-qt kit) if GS does not need to buy more sooner. Fully identify each stone repaired/restored. We could take our $500 out of our Restoration Fund. Detailed discussion of work and supplies needed in Whitneyville.
Managing Halifax cemeteries – GR repaired a stone broken in two at Center, but it needs a brace, preferably good marble. GR has a foot stone that might be suitable. There is another stone in Niles that was bent, broke through the text, and needs repair; stone is crumbly. Hatch has trees in it that need to come out. What does VOCA do with old stones that were replaced? Many are on the walls in our cemeteries. If left on the wall, a small sign could identify the plot number of the replacement. A man in Wilmington has an online program that identifies all plot numbers; we can look into this. Darryl Calkins does GPR, and LS has his contact info. The Commissioners are all in favor of hiring him to GPR the Center ($2000 for 200×200). LS will schedule him for fall. For Bascom, we can work on it next year, e.g., could rent Joseph Brown’s skid-steer with stump-grinder to deal with the large tree stump.
OTHER BUSINESS
Brad Lackey has been scheduled for surveying the 2 cemeteries that have been cleared (West Halifax, Niles); he will plot them for us. He had wanted to meet in June; LS will follow up so we can meet with him and get an estimate per cemetery; we need surveys of West H and Niles (new sections).
HEARING OF VISITORS – None.
ADJOURNMENT – 3:13 pm
ACTION ITEMS from Meeting
LS will prepare a spreadsheet of CC monies and expenditures
LC will draft VOCA grant for Whitneyville stones & circulate to LS & GR
LS will call Darryl Calkins re doing GPR in Halifax Center Cemetery this fall
LS will call Brad Lackey to set up meeting with us (we need surveys of West H and Niles new sections)
TBD: ask VOCA what to do with old stones that were replaced (e.g., leave on walls)
TBD: ask about availability of the online program used in Wilmington that shows plot map