1999-04-14 City of Beverly
Board of Cemetery Managers
Meeting Minutes: April 14, 1999
Present: Mr. Ward, Mr. Wood, and Mr. Seamans
Approve minutes of Previous meeting: Moved by Mr. Wood, second by Mr. Ward', Voted
Unaminous
Review of events since lest meeting: Letters to Richard Hemenway and Tognazzi
Monuments
Applications for lot representation: William King for NB Plan 7, Lot 674: Approval
moved by Mr. Wood, second by Mr. Ward; Voted
Program of activity for Fiscal Year 2000: Application for "Request for Determination"
before Conservation Commission and other Con Corn issues
Fence at Beverly Farms Cemetery: Board urged that a 6 foot Vinal clad fence be installed
along the cemetery boundry at Plan 6.
Other Business: 1 .Second annual cemetery clean-up scheduled for week of March 21 to
26.
2. Veterans Markers
3. Mrs. Walker's letters
4. board urged that the Department of Public Services close the gate at Hart Street into
the Beverly Farms Cemetery
5. William Tannebring, 658 Cabot Street, presented his concerns about the condition of
fence and wall of North Beverly Cemetery along Cabot Street.
Adjournment at: 6:30 PM
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 12, 1999 at 5:30 PM at City Hall
City of Beverly
Board of Cemetery Managers
Eugene Wood
Jdm Dunn
Peter 8eanlana,
April 5, 1999
Richard J. Hemenway
531 Oxford Road
Oxford, CT 06478
Dear Mr. Hemenway:
Last September 28, I wrote to inform you of the decision of the Board of Cemetery
Managers denying your request for an additional upright marker to be placed on the
"Appleton" lot in Central Cemetery. Imagine my surprise to find that marker installed!
The Board of Cemetery Managers insists that this stone be removed.
If this department is forced to remove the stone, there will be a hold on all future
interments in this lot until a fee of $200 is paid.
Sincerely,
Peter Searoans,
Cemetery Services Administrator
c~. Board of Cemetery Managers
531 Oxford Road
Oxford Connecticut 06478
April 8, 1999
Mr. Peter Seamarts, Cemetery Services Administrator
Cemetery Depaament, Public Works
City Hall, Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Dear Mr. Seamans:
I am in receipt of your letter of April 5, 1999. I have contacted Tognazzi Monuments. It is my
understanding that Mr. John Tog~a~Ti has been in contact with Mr. Loring Ward who is looking into the
matter.
As I am actively pursuing a resolution, I would ask that you take no action to remove the stone in
question until this misunderstanding can be cleared up.
Co: John Tognazzi. TognaT~ Monuments
Richard J. He~'enway~~
City of Beverly
Board of Cemetery Managers
Elyn Cotr~u
Eug~xe Wood
Jdm Dunn
Peter Seaman, ~ledc
April 5, 1999
Togna77i Monuments
35 Park Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Gentlemen:
At its September meeting, the Board of Cemetery Managers voted to deny a request by
Richard Hemenway for an additional marker to be erected on the "Appleton" lot in
Central Cemetery. This decision is consistent with longstanding cemetery policy limiting
lots to one upright stone. The issue was discussed with your finn prior to Mr.
Hemenway's petition to the Board. Therefore, it is a disappointing surprise to find that
stone installed. It must be removed.
We are aware that your firm supplied the stone, and we further infer that you delivered
the stone to the lot at the request of your customer. This a~tion is most distressing to us as
we have heretofore relied upon the integrity of local monument suppliers to comply with
Cemetery rules. Was this confidence poorly plac~l in your finn?
Until we are confident that this issue is resolved satisfactorily, we cannot accept new
orders plac.~l by your firm for foundations or installations of markers.
Sincerely,
Peter Seamans,
Cemetery ServicesAdministrator
cc. Board of Cemetery Managers
City of Beverly
Board of Cemetery Managers
April 14, 1999
Loring Ward, Jr., Chair
Board of Cemetery Managers
City of Beverly
191 Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Dear Mr. Ward:
For many years this City has authorized, accepted and installed bronze veteran' s grave
markers for use as grave markers additional to standing memorials. This practice is so
common that many consider it a guaranteed benefit, and the City's Veteran's Agem uses
these markers to identify graves for the required annual distribution of flags for Memorial
Da~/. The practice is illegal.
Under Federal law, veteran' s markers are provided only for the unmarked grave of a
qualified veteran. This is so even if the privately acquired monument does not reference
the decedent as a veteran. In fact, if the marker is installed and a privately purchased
monument is installed subsequently, the government supplied marker should be removed
from the grave. The Department of Veterans Affairs gates: "By law, Government
markers are not to be used as footstones and should not be used to double-mark a
veteran's grave." Our cemeteries are peppered with graves marked with private and
government supplies memorials.
The Department of Veterans Affairs further states: "The VA relies on the integrity of the
applicant to request a Government-provided marker only if the grave is not, or will not
be, marked with a private headstone or marker." The application requires a Cemetery
official signature, and consistent with past practice, the City participates in this 'wink' at
the law. I have been assured that there will be no "investigation" of Beverly cemeteries,
but these assurances, of course, will not be committed in writing.
This letter is iraended to be informational since we do not want any embarrassment this
year. I do not believe there is any winning position in this matter.
Sincerely,
Peter Searoans,
Cemetery Services Administrator
cc. Frank J. Killilea, P.E., Director of Engineering
RITA L. WALKER
18 Bass River Road
Beverly, MA 01915
Ph. 922-6429
Cemetery Dept.
Beverly City Hall
191 Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Attention: Peter Searoans
Dear Peter,
I am writing in regard to tie bronze Veterans plaque which was applied for by tie
Campbell Funeral Home in memory of my husband RALPH E. WALKER, who died on
August 22, 1998 and was buried in the No. Beverly Cemetery on August 26, 1998. The
Lot number is 49 of Plan 9, and the Account number is C5707.
I have been told by tie funeral home that if tie plaque arrives before tie ground is
frozen, it will be put down. However if not, then it will be held until Spring. Would you
be kind enough to phone me when it does arrive please?
On this cemetery plot right now is a bronze Veterans plaque, honoring my father,
Arthur J. LeClair, and I believe it defines the comer of the plot. I wish to define the
other comer of the plot with my husband's nlaeue. I make this special distinction to
you because Ralph's urn was placed next to my mothers urn (Laura LeC!alr), and not
on tie side where I'm requesting that his plaque to be placed. In otier words, the family
wishes to mark the two ends of tie plot with bronze markers. (These are the only
veterans that will be buried there).
If you have any questions please feel free to cootact me.
Thank you,