The Romeo Cemetery Board received several updates from representatives of Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick, Inc. (AEW) at their March 20 board meeting.
Ryan Kern, Project Engineer, said a pre-construction meeting was held and the road improvement project will begin sooner than expected. Sommerset Paving is planning to begin the project in mid-April and, weather permitting, should be finished by the end of May. Signs will be placed at the cemetery entrances for visitors and accommodations will be made for burials to take place during road construction.
Anthony Kowalchick, GIS Analyst, updated the board on a mapping project that was passed by the board at their February meeting. With this project, which is well underway, the entire cemetery will be mapped and information, including burial ownership and occupancy, will also be added to a web-based mapping application for public access and viewing. In phase four of the project, AEW will partner with Great Lakes GPR to perform ground penetrating radar, if needed, to complete a site survey for plots that may be in question of occupancy.
Currently, office burial and plot ownership records are in the process of organization and compilation, which is vital for the mapping database as well. Mitchell Foster, sexton assistance and archivist, said he has completed a good portion of the tedious process, which will also help uncover any available cemetery plots.
Kern also said he is continuing to look into the proposed filling of the dry pond at the north end of the cemetery and that so far the prospect is looking positive. Further investigation into any water pipes in the area supplying the water tower is needed.
“If this area can be filled, it could add anywhere from 600 to 1000 additional burial plot,” board member Debi Martone stated in a presentation for the village council last month.
The board also:
-Voted to increase the cemetery plot cost to $1000. The plots are only for purchase by current Romeo residents.
-Created a new application for the upcoming lottery/sale of 48 plots that were recently surveyed by Don King, of King Surveying, Inc. The board will set the date for the application and lottery at their April 17 meeting.
-Declared Kathryn Trapp as the cemetery sexton for one month until the cemetery board can ask the village council for clarification of the description of the clerk’s position, which was recently passed by the village council and does not include the responsibilities as cemetery sexton.
Publish: 4/3/24