(PHOTO BY BRIANNA BALOGH / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
FUTURE PLANS … The Maple Grove Cemetery Board anticipates future replacement of flagpole, an essential location for the annual Memorial Day parade.
By: Brianna Balogh
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
The joint cemetery and township trustee meeting was called to order at 5:15 p.m., starting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Following was a prayer led by Mayor Bob Day.
Roll call was taken by Fiscal Officer Denise Knecht with members in attendance as follows: council members Jason Gruver, Leslie VanAusdale, Sharon Blinzler, Pam Wampler, Chuck Wallace, and St. Joseph Township Trustees Roger Meuhlfeld, and Cade Lalonde. Trustee Richard Moffet was absent and council member Lance Bowsher arrived a few minutes after roll call.
Also attending were Village Administrator Dawn Fitzcharles, Administrative Assistant Amanda Knecht, and St. Joseph Trustee Fiscal Officer Jodi Radabaugh.
The first item of business was the approval of the joint meeting minutes, held on April 8th. The motion to approve was made by Gruver and seconded by Muehlfeld. All members voted yes to approve the motion.
Next on the agenda was the approval of the resignation of the cemetery board at-large representative. Gruver thanked Dennis Grzych for all his efforts and Mayor Day tried to convince him to stay. The motion to approve was made by VanAusdale, seconded by Meuhlfeld, and approved by all.
As a result of Grzych’s resignation, the next item was to approve the advertisement for the vacant Maple Grove cemetery board at-large position. This is a vital role and eligible candidates must be residents of St. Joseph township.
Administrator Fitzcharles explained the process briefly, stating the advertisement would be issued in the local newspaper and on the website through May 21st, as well as going out to all current village employees, as is standard with any open positions.
After the application period ends, the applications will be reviewed. Fitzcharles recommended having at least one representative from each entity that already serves on the board to help understand the responsibilities and requirements of the position.
Coordinating the availability of all council and trustee members for the interviews would be exceedingly difficult.
Once the decision is made, it will be approved via a joint meeting, but a special meeting should not be required, as the decision can be made at an already scheduled meeting.
The motion was passed unanimously, being made by Wallace and seconded by VanAusdale.
The final item of business was an operational and financial update on Maple Grove cemetery, provided by Fiscal Officer Radabaugh.
Starting out first with financials, the current checking account balance was approximately $45,000 with the CD, savings endowment, and balance being $70,141.50.
Moving along, Radabaugh informed of the onboarding of two new cemetery employees with the goal of broadening the employee base.
Clean-up is almost complete and some foundations will be completed prior to Memorial Day. Cement pads will also be poured under the current benches which were part of a previous Eagle Scout project.
Looking ahead, several items are on the wishlist for future improvements in Maple Grove. The first item mentioned was the potential purchase of a Gator and the need to replace the dump truck due to normal wear.
The fall agenda will include the planting of several trees which is an every other year occurrence. Wallace has been working with the arborist in preparation for fall planting. Also being looked into is the eventual replacement of the flagpole.
A reduction in burials occurred in comparison to the prior year. The April council meeting included a review and potential adjustment of prices for items such as foundations. Radabaugh finished with a five-year forecast, including the potential of opening an addition within the cemetery.
Prior to adjournment, Day made a suggestion to get a photograph of the cemetery team. He stated the cemetery upkeep is no small feat and would like to give a face to the hard-working team behind it.
Along the same line, Day would like to see a photo of the township trustees as well. Radabaugh stated they are in the process of getting contact information signs made but had not yet thought of a photograph.
The adjournment motion was made by Wallace and seconded by VanAusdale. All members approved adjournment at 5:29 p.m. just in time to roll into the scheduled Edgerton Village Council meeting, starting at 5:30 p.m.