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The Vault At Middletown Cemetery

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Manager
Forum Description: Discuss the city manager administration including all city departments.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1237
Printed Date: Nov 25 2024 at 1:00am


Topic: The Vault At Middletown Cemetery
Posted By: randy
Subject: The Vault At Middletown Cemetery
Date Posted: Apr 22 2009 at 11:54am
In a press release from the City manager the vault at Pioneer Cemetery was discussed. In part the report said

I met with interested parties once again about the cemetery.   Quotes that Vivian Moon received to renovate the decorative vault are in the $65,000 - $80,000 range.    There is a great deal of stone work to be done.  I believe that we can come up with the $11,000 match required of the Community Foundation which would provide a total budget of $22,000.  We are also asking contractors for additional quotes.  We will either renovate the vault or demolish it this year.

http://www.middletownusa.com/view_news.asp?a=4242 - To read the full City Managers Report. 



Replies:
Posted By: scrapmonkey
Date Posted: Apr 23 2009 at 12:31am
Mark my word...demolition of that vault is as good as done. Council has no interest in that cemetery,it's not a money maker for them. If it made money or did something to further members persona they would break their necks fixing it up.

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scrapmonkey

"Civilization begins with order,grows with liberty,and dies with chaos"~Will Duran


Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Apr 23 2009 at 6:28am

I do believe that the City would like me and my pesky little problem to go away. Since they don't want to solve the problem they now what to bulldoze it down. And yet again Judy states that the funds would come from the General Fund and I would be taking a pool and play ground equiptment from the kiddies...

Hmmmm...Hey Judy what are you going to use all that Historic CDBG money for?


Posted By: randy
Date Posted: Apr 23 2009 at 8:20am
Mrs. Moon, I was in the cemetery A few days ago and was hoping to meet you. I did take some pictures of the vault and a few other things around there. I t could be such a beautiful vault if the city would do their job and take care of it. It will be a sad day in Middletown if it is demolished.


Posted By: Bwood
Date Posted: Apr 23 2009 at 9:12am
But demolishing it would also cost money. If we wait and let it collapse in on itself we could save money and use it to buy more playground equipment. Think of the children!

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Looking for news or information on display technology? If so Visit the http://amonitorblog.blogspot.com/ - Monitor Blog


Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Apr 23 2009 at 7:16pm
Ohio State Law clearly state that they MUST take care of the cemetery. The funds Mr. Kohler promised me 5 years ago were CDBG historic funds. The money to repair the vault was never going to come from General Funds as Ms Gilleland keeps repeating. They have $800,000 of CDBG money....so why won't she give me the funds as promised?....what are they going to use this money for?.....more pretty things for downtown town & Main Street?


Posted By: makeadifference
Date Posted: Apr 24 2009 at 7:09am
She will not give up that money for something that she does not feel is worth it. She wants to use as much money as she can for demolishin.The only reason she is giving you 11k, is because that is what it would cost to demolish it.  I was raised that you are to show respect for the deceased.  Obviously we have do not have city officials with  basic values and respect.  Someone needs to take her to the Miltonville Cemetary. You can not clean up a city by destroying the heritage.  Someone needs to come up with a test on the history of Middletown and see if she could pass it.  I bet she would not have a passing grade.


Posted By: Perplexed
Date Posted: Apr 28 2009 at 10:41am
Mrs. Moon -
 
You might find it interesting that Queen Judy recently found upwards of $30,000 in HUD funds lying around to finance an upcoming home makeover project in the south end of Ward 2 in Middletown.  Maybe she'll magically discover other unused HUD funds totalling $60,000 for the Pioneer Cemetery restoration too?  And, by the way, this is not HUD stimulus money or the pending FY 2009 CDBG allocation as well.


Posted By: Mogwa
Date Posted: May 13 2009 at 2:43pm
Taken from a weekly update to City Council from the City Manager sent May 10, 2009.

Pioneer Cemetery

We are still getting estimates for work at the vault that can be done for $22,000.  That is the upper end of the budget, with $11,000 coming from the very generous community foundation and $11,000 potentially coming from the city.  It does not appear that any other group in the community is interested in funding renovation work.   If we are not able to make significant improvements to the vault with the $22,000, then we will demolish the structure. 

Staff and I met last week with Fred Wehr and one of his Board Members of Woodside Cemetery to discuss cemetery maintenance.  We spend about $10-15,000 per year on maintenance (mowing and trimming mostly) for the 12 acre Pioneer Cemetery; this figure is very low.  We will be continuing conversations with Mr. Wehr after Memorial Day on ways that we can improve cemetery maintenance, however, given our current budget situation, I do not anticipate increasing the level of funding for maintenance



Posted By: John Beagle
Date Posted: May 13 2009 at 3:29pm
Kudos to Vivian Moon for her respect to those who have gone before us.

You are to be commended for moving council on this very important issue. It shows that we are respectful of our forefathers and foremothers.


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http://www.johnbeagle.com/" rel="nofollow - John Beagle

Middletown USA

News of, for and by the people of Middletown, Ohio.


Posted By: Mike_Presta
Date Posted: May 13 2009 at 5:52pm
I second the kudos to Vivian!!!
 
But, FIE, city hall, a pox on you for the disrespect that you show!!!


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“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012


Posted By: Impala SS
Date Posted: May 13 2009 at 10:24pm
Mike>>>>   You can bet if it was the golf course or south Main st. or down town KING Marty would tell Queen Judy to find the money. I would bet my life on that one.


Posted By: Impala SS
Date Posted: May 13 2009 at 10:35pm
I really think forbes was wrong in saying Middletown is dieing, it is dead done by the so called movers and shakers with there stupid ideas. People like auntie Ann and king Marty are very dangerous people. Oh dont leave out city council.


Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 14 2009 at 5:22am
Taken from a weekly update to City Council from the City Manager sent May 10, 2009.
Pioneer Cemetery
We are still getting estimates for work at the vault that can be done for $22,000.  That is the upper end of the budget, with $11,000 coming from the very generous community foundation and $11,000 potentially coming from the city.  It does not appear that any other group in the community is interested in funding renovation work.   If we are not able to make significant improvements to the vault with the $22,000, then we will demolish the structure. 
Staff and I met last week with Fred Wehr and one of his Board Members of Woodside Cemetery to discuss cemetery maintenance.  We spend about $10-15,000 per year on maintenance (mowing and trimming mostly) for the 12 acre Pioneer Cemetery; this figure is very low.  We will be continuing conversations with Mr. Wehr after Memorial Day on ways that we can improve cemetery maintenance, however, given our current budget situation, I do not anticipate increasing the level of funding for maintenance.

The City spends $500 per mow or $10,000 a year for mowing and trimming the cemetery. They mow 20 timmes per year...for the past 5 years PERIOD!
They have now called a tree trimmer and he is now over at the cemetery cutting down all the dead trees and dead limbs from all the trees.
The question is "Where is the CDBG fund that were promised for the restoration of the Vault"?  




Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: May 14 2009 at 7:48am

May 14, 2009

Ms Gilleland
I have just finished reading your May 10, 2009 City Update concerning your meeting with Fred Wehr and Dan Diver about the upkeep of the Middletown Cemetery.
Every year for the past 5 years I have sent a
Middletown Cemetery
Work List like the one below to Ginger Smith, Mari Lynn Thurber and Dave Duritsch concerning the needs of the cemetery. 
For the City to now act like they have not been made aware or informed of the problems at the cemetery is an untruthful statement to say the least.
The upkeep of the cemetery isn't a few days work once a year. The flower beds need to watered and weeded all during the growing season. The new trees need to be watered all during the season, a job the City will not do at the cemetery either. The poison ivy and small trees need to be removed all during the season.
I spent about 20 hours a week for the past five years cleaning and clearing the cemetery to get it to the point you see today.
It is clear that the City still does not want to be responsible for the care of this cemetery. 
Where are the CDBG funds that were promised to me for the repair of the Vault if I took care of all the other problems at the cemetery? To say that these funds are not available to restore the Vault is also an untruthful statement...you simply do not want to make them available.
Where is the
Middletown Cemetery
Perpetual Care Fund? 
I lived up to my end of the bargain and then some... 
Vivian Moon

Middletown Cemetery
Work List 2009
February 2, 2009

APRIL
Need City
's immediate attention in spring : Spray Vault for active termite problem around wooden door area.
Cut down any dead trees…CITY
Repair South Fence…CITY
Repair West Fence...CITY
Remove all trash, twigs and branches from cemetery
Remove all flowers from tombstones before first mow
Rake all leaves and trash from fence lines.
Preen all planting beds
Walk cemetery and fill any groundhog holes and plant grass
Walk cemetery and place all tombstones back on footers
Cut any small trees or stumps away from tombstones
Edge all planting beds
Contact CSX, Cohen Bros and Denny Lumber Co…CITY...Mary Jane Adams
MOWERS…Cemetery must be perfect between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
 
MAY
All graves must be string trimmed before Mother’s Day…MOWERS
Start setting and repairing FEMA damaged tombstones…Jerry Richards

Cover the Doty Rose Garden before the City sprays the driveways
Spray all fence lines….CITY
Plant any new trees
Weed
and feed all planting beds
Plant annual flowers
Mulch all planting areas
Rake leaves and trash on outside Richmond Street fence line.
Power wash front driveway
Edge front sidewalk and sweep
Place all Veterans Flags on graves
Replace Flags on Flag Pole before Memorial Day

JUNE - JULY
Check Richmond Street fence line and spray if needed
Finish cutting down all overgrown shrubs in East Addition area and spray

AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
Complete all FEMA tombstone work…Jerry Richards
Photograph all FEMA tombstone work and send copies to Pam Banks at City..VCM
Move and plant new Iris Beds




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