Town of Chichester, NH
Cemetery Trustees’ meeting
May 6, 2024
On May 6, 2024 @ 9:00 a.m. Cemetery Trustees, Ruth Hammen, Fred Shaw and Brenda Boswak met at the Historical Society building.
OLD BUSINESS
We purchased 225 new American flags from Flagworks Over America, LLC, in Concord for placement on veterans’ gravesites. We will begin placing the flags this week. We have a few people that have volunteered to help.
Lee Beachy has repaired the damaged ‘Rules & Regulations’ sign at Leavitt Cemetery. Brenda has called Riel Fence Co. in Barnstead about repairing the chain link fence at Leavitt Cemetery. Garry Kalajian, blacksmith, received his check for $1,550 for a deposit and is already at work creating the gates for Morrill Cemetery & Brown Cemetery. Ewen MacKinnon has been removing some of the cut-up tree at Hook Cemetery.
NEW BUSINESS
Fred is still in the process of setting up a date with Joseph Beachy, 'Extol Tree Care', for the removal of Ash trees at Burying Yard.
Ruth received a phone inquiry about purchasing ‘a burial lot’ from a non-resident of Chichester. Due to the increase in this type of inquiry here in Chichester and in other towns, we revised the ‘Rules & Regulations’ to include the stipulation; “sale of ‘Right to Inter’ contracts are restricted to current and former residents of Chichester, NH.” Brenda will update the signs and cemetery website and ask Kristy Jobin to post the revision on the town website.
We are so very appreciative of the support of Selectmen, Michael Williams who has generously donated his $3,000 stipend as Selectmen, to the Cemetery Trustees to be used for the restoration of Hook Cemetery. Brenda will contact Don Cotnoir, 'NH Monuments' to ask him to add the repairs of Hook Cemetery posts and fence rails to his schedule for this season. We will address the gravestone restoration in this cemetery another season.
Ruthie, Fred and Diane Loso spent some time locating and cleaning around the gravestone of Justin Hook at Hook Cemetery. The flat, military gravestone had not been visible for several years.
Fred completed the sale of ‘Right to Inter’ with Sharon Allaire in the Leavitt Cemetery.
Hodgkins Painting & Maintenance has begun the spring cleanup in the cemeteries. There is extensive clean up needed due to a lot of fallen tree limbs in every cemetery.
On April 8, 2024, Ruthie emailed Martha Dodge Wilkerson with an update about the cemetery gates we are having created using her donation money from last year. She is very pleased with the drawings and proposed cost for this project and said she would be donating an additional $25,000! Ruthie received the check from Martha Dodge Wilkerson on April 19, 2024, and will submit it to the Selectmen for them to accept the unanticipated donation per RSA 31:95-b III(a). Fred has been communicating with Martha Dodge Wilkerson to clarify her intent for this donation and the exact wording for the trust fund for it. This additional donation will allow for the possibility of creating more cemetery gates this season.
Brenda contacted Garry Kalajian to move forward with creating a design and estimate for new gates at Knowlton-Edgerly Cemetery. Brenda went to Leavitt Cemetery to plant flowers in the cement flower urns that were placed by the ‘Rules & Regulations’ sign, and the urns have been removed. A search of the cemetery grounds and fence line did not produce any result in finding them.
We submitted the names of Gloria Beachy and Justine Hayward, as Cemetery Trustee alternate, to the Board of Selectmen.
We spent some time clarifying the Arthur Manzie Leavitt trust amount, wording, and purpose of his trust.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:50. a.m.
Respectfully submitted, Brenda Boswak, Cemetery Trustee, Secretary