Cemetery Board discusses record access

By Chelsea McNerney-Martinez
MONTE VISTA- The Monte Vista Cemetery Association Board of Directors met for their monthly meeting last Tuesday, June 5. The board discussed financials, giving the county clerk access to records, their recent fundraising efforts on Memorial Day and other improvements to the cemetery.
The total income for the cemetery for May was $5,135 with $2,282 in expenses, including $381 in electricity for the water pump, $600 toward tree removal for two trees brought down by the recent windstorm and $305 in burial expenses among other needs.
The board expressed their thanks to MDS Waste and Recycle for donating the use of a dumpster for Memorial Day weekend, as well as several individuals and groups who helped clean and prepare the cemetery the week before, including the Monte Vista Rotary, Kiwanis and the local Boy Scout troop, composed of members from Alamosa to Creede. “They were like ants on an anthill they worked so hard,” Board President Kathy Ellithorpe stated, “We can’t say how much we appreciate them enough.” Board members volunteered throughout Memorial Day weekend, answering questions from visitors looking for relatives and explaining the financial and water situations of the cemetery. For the following year, board members decided to have a booth in one central location with the database of plots, bottles of water and donation envelopes. Board member Laurie McClung also suggested having buckets of water and brushes available as many visitors wanted to clean the headstones of their loved ones.
The board recently accepted the services of Alonzo Martinez, who has removed two dead trees from the cemetery but as the third he had planned to remove is the largest and most difficult, he is requesting a higher fee from the cemetery board, between $1,000 and $1,200, which the board noted is still a reasonable price and agreed to use the funds donated for removal to pay him.
Mike Schaefer explained the Monte Vista Canal water shares are now completed and the cemetery is using the first appropriation of the Piedra ditch water. He suggested waiting another week to two weeks to start the pump again for watering because of the high cost of electricity. Schaefer explained the cemetery is in dire need of volunteers who can help with mowing weeds but noted without Jeff Harmon’s help with weeds and groundskeeping so far “we would be sunk.”
Rio Grande County Clerk and Recorder Cindy Hill was present at the meeting to discuss placing cemetery records at the county clerk’s office. Hill noted it would be a secondary means of backing up records and would be very convenient for people doing research to have the records in a central location with no expense to the cemetery. Hill also noted the cemetery could link their electronic database to the county clerk’s website for people to do research online. Ellithorpe asked if it would be possible to put a plot map in the clerk’s office, which Hill confirmed was possible but the cemetery would have to provide it. Ellithorpe noted although the cemetery’s database was largely accurate, there were some formatting changes over the years and some errors she has come across and suggested the board take the time to confirm the map by walking through the cemetery and marking maps by hand to ensure accuracy. Hill also noted the Del Norte Cemetery keeps a record of plot sales in her office which could be done for $18 per two-page deed. Ellithorpe agreed this was an accurate way to maintain records and they could add the cost to the plot sale charge. Board member Wanda Hawman asked how many burials were allowed per space, with Ellithorpe noting only one full burial and one set of cremains or two sets of cremains.
Ellithorpe also asked Hill about some of the steps required to create a special cemetery district with the other cemeteries in the county, with Hill explaining a special election would cost between $30,000 and $40,000 dollars but less if the question is on a general election ballot. She encouraged the board to remember there are three parts to a special district, in three different ballot questions, including the establishment of the district itself, the board of directors membership and the funding for the district and as the questions are separate, the board should keep in mind the possibility some may pass and some might not.  
The board accepted the resignation of Kirk Thompson and tabled potentially accepting two other members until they could be present at a meeting. The board also heard a neighbor of the cemetery is willing to donate large solar-powered lights, so the flags above the cemetery could remain lit at night and wouldn’t have to be taken down and raised daily, which the board was very appreciative of.