Chichester NH
Cemetery Trustees’ meeting
November 4, 2024
The Cemetery Trustees met on November 4, 2024 @ 9:00 a.m. at the Historical Society building. Ruth Hammen, Fred Shaw & Brenda Boswak were in attendance.
OLD BUSINESS
Ruthie shared information about her attendance at the New Hampshire Cemetery Association seminar. There are approximately 200 funeral directors and 60 funeral homes in the state of New Hampshire. A variety of topics were discussed. Many towns are experiencing popularity in green burials and scattering gardens. According to the association’s data, approximately 80 percent of interments are cremations.
Garry Kalajian, blacksmith, has completed and installed the new iron gate at Morrill Cemetery. Ruthie will submit his invoice for payment to the Town Administrator. Garry will work on some design ideas for new gates at Knowlton-Edgerly Cemetery for next year. A letter was sent to the abutting property owner to Morrill Cemetery, requesting the cleanup of the debris from a large tree that has fallen inside the cemetery from their property. The tree debris has been removed. A copy of the letter was filed with the Selectmen’s office.
NEW BUSINESS
We will send a letter requesting the removal of the large dead tree limbs that have fallen into Burying Yard, from an abutting neighbor’s property, Scott Tepper. A copy of the letter will be filed with the Selectmen’s office.
Ruthie received approximately fifty (50) mortuary records for Chichester burials dating back to 1940’s, from a representative of Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord. These records were donated to Blossom Hill Cemetery, at the time of local funeral homes closing their business. We spent some time looking through the files. Ruthie and Fred will compare and file the information in these documents with the information in our records. We updated the ‘Veterans’ list, ‘Interments Sold’ list, and names of persons buried in Chichester.
We spent time reconciling our 2024 General Expense ledger with the year-to-date ledger information provided to us by the Town Administrator. We addressed some errors and omissions. We decided to maintain a 2025 budget line-item request for ‘tree removal’ of $6,000 and $7,000 for ‘general expenses’. Ruthie will ask Lane Hodgkin for his proposed contract price for the maintenance of Chichester cemeteries for the 2025 season. Lane has not increased his pricing in recent years, so we anticipate an increase in his contract price for 2025. Ruthie will request the Cemetery Committee to be scheduled to attend the Budget Advisory Committee meeting/s.
Brenda contacted Don Cotnoir, NH Monuments, to follow up with the restoration process for the gravestones at Page Cemetery. Don will submit an invoice for a deposit for this work. He plans to transport the gravestones to his business to be worked on in a controlled environment over the winter months. These stones have extensive damage.
The planning for the Wreaths Across America Day event is in full swing. The event will be held December 14, 2024 @ 12:00 at the Veterans’ Memorial Park. Information has been posted on social media, local newspapers and the town sign. Brenda has been working on inviting military members to participate in the wreath laying ceremony at the veterans’ monument. There are 217 veteran’s gravesites to honor with a Remembrance Wreath.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Boswak, Cemetery Trustee, Secretary