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Case/44: <br /> <br />Adopt Trott Brook Cemetery Survey, Rules & Regulations, and Authorize' <br />Staff to Declare Plots Available for Burial <br /> <br />Management Intern Schmidt explained over the past year, a citizens committee has been meeting <br />with City staff for the purposes of updating the Trott Brook Cemetery burial inventory and <br />creating a management plan for the cemetery. He reviewed that as discussed with the Council <br />work session on June 21, 2005, the City contracted with Hakanson Anderson to update the Trott <br />Brook Cemetery land and plat survey. Hakanson Anderson's survey crew located the grave <br />markers, trees, and other topographic features within the cemetery. Braun Intertec assisted <br />Hakanson Anderson by utilizing ground-penetrating radar to determine accurate burial locations. <br />The results of both surveys are shown on the Sketch of Trott Brook Cemetery, which is included <br />in the Council's packet. Staff is seeking Council direction regarding accepting the survey as <br />drawn and recording the survey as official record of the plots and burials within the cemetery.. <br /> <br />Management Intern Schmidt explained staff and committee members referenced numerous <br />records in the research for the burial inventory. From these records and the ground-penetrating <br />radar, 163 known burials were recorded within the cemetery along with one unknown burial for a <br />total of 164 burials. The cemetery has 60 plots, with six lots in each plot for 360 possible burial <br />lots. The historical records and ground-penetrating radar revealed that some sites had multiple <br />burials within a lot. Sixteen of the 60 plots were determined to be full by either the total number <br />of burials within the plot or the uncertainty of the location of burials within the plot. He <br />explained the remaining plots contain I70 open lots. Of the 170 open lots, 33 are unowned open <br />lots, 41 lots are depicted by the City Cemetery Records as being owned by an individual or <br />family within the past 50 years, and 96 lots are depicted on the window shade as having potential <br />ownership but no activity in the past 50 years~ The window shade is the historic record that has <br />been passed down through generations and numerous residents of Ramsey. Staff is <br />recommending going tba'ough the process of declaring the 96 lots, which show ownership, but no <br />activity in the past 50 years as available lots. Staff would publish the plot/lot number and family <br />name information in the Anoka County Union and in the City Newsletter to give the families of <br />historic record an opportunity to claim the plo~Iot. All plots/lots unclaimed after the publication <br />would be available for purchase. There are currently 33 unowned open lots within the cemetery. <br /> <br />Management Intern Schmidt advised Rules and Regulations for purqhasing graC~e lots, <br />interments, disinterments, maintenance and care, monuments and markers, and plantings and <br />decorations for the Trott Brook Cemetery were drafted based upon a review of other municipal <br />cemetery policies and recommendations from staff and committee members. The Rules and <br />Regulations are. included for adoption. He advised lot fees and perpetual care fees for the Trott <br />Brook Cemetery are adopted annually in the City's Fee Schedule. The lot fee is currently set at <br />$600 per lot with a $200 perpetual care fee. He explained a Burial Lots Rights application was <br />developed to show the oxvnership for the open lots as they are purchased in the future. A record <br />of the burial lot rights will be kept on file at the City Hall. In addition, a Burial Lot Rights <br />Transfer Application was drafted to document any transfer of ownership of plots and/or lots. <br />These documents are included for adoption, <br /> <br />P52 <br /> <br />City Council t July 12, 2005 <br /> Page 12 of 25 <br /> <br /> <br />