Springdale Cemetery Observer Report

​The 4pm meeting was chaired by Pam Johnson with two members participating by phone and 6 participating in person. New representative from the County is Henry Blackwell (besides County Board Members Linda Daley and Kate Pastucha.) Joyce Harant representing the Peoria Park District is fairly new to this board also. This Observer was the only member of the public in attendance. The wifi in the Volunteer and Maintenance Building where the meeting is held is not good, so it would be difficult to hold the meeting virtually.
The Manager Mark Matuszak’s report included:

• Burials for January 2022 were more than done in January for the past 8 years
• A revised Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) in its 7th version is being discussed at the city, county, and park district - the original IGA signers. Joyce Harant asked when/whether there would be a public meeting to discuss the IGA. Response was that the three originating signers should accept public comment prior to their approving the IGA document. (The original IGA identified the City as the owner with the Park District and County “participating” with an identified amount of money each year. The owner would make up any deficit or accept profits. Typically the city pays about $250,000 per year. While the county and the park district’s agreed annual amount is much less than that. Note: anyone living within the city helps to pay all three of those amounts.
• Mr Stuttle questioned whether “allowing the endowment fund” was included in the IGA as discussed at a previous meeting. (Cemeteries have that fund to pay for ongoing upkeep of the cemetery since the business will eventually run out of plots to sell. Springdale is large and the sale of plots cannot cover annual costs.) Mr. Matuszak will get that change added to the IGA.
• Having done a Market Assessment, staff will recommend increasing opening and closing fees as well as site costs (plots.)
• Employee wage increases was discussed including: the fact that several wonderful long-term volunteers can no longer do that physical work which may require more employees, the pandemic labor shortage required increased pay to get the seasonal work done, and adding a Bradley intern part time to document the Cloudpoint process in identifying grave locations for future volunteers and staff.
• They will add 24 or so replacement trees (and troughs and netting) this Spring. Discussed that is a good item for people to donate money towards. Also replacing old trash receptacles and signs that are tattered.
• Lighting for the Civil War Monument is backordered, but the electrical work for that is complete.
• Memorial Day event will include “Race for Preservation” sponsored by the Springdale Historical Preservation Foundation, drive throughs with veteran gravesites locations, and recognition of volunteers.

Kate Pastucha is the new president of the Foundation Board and they have worked on updating their committees, etc. Their will be new activities at Springdale happening through the Foundation.
CB, Observer