Cemetery Commission - Regular Meeting

K. We're gonna begin the cemetery commission meeting on

It's today.

The twenty eighth. The 05/28/2025.

I'll do a roll call. Brenda Butler? Here. Sandy Kisparis?

Here.

Bay Clay Gilliam? Present. Jeanine Even? Here. Clay Sullivan? Here. Adriana Montoya? Here.

And then Tim is on his waist, so he'll

be here shortly. And

we do not have any comments.

Yeah. Good. Good.

So the next thing is to does anybody wanna make a motion about the minutes? Did you read them? And

I did read them, and they appeared to be complete being accurate. I knew that we approved. Is there a second? A second. K. You need to call roll on that. Yes, ma'am. Adriana Montoya? Brenda Butler? Yes. Gina Eban? Aye. Faye Clay Gilliam? Aye. Cindy Hesteris? Yes. Clay Sullivan? Yep. Motion passed. I might get this meeting over before Tim gets here. I think I'll be gone.

You made his record, Jenna.

No. He's got the

record. Okay.

For the next The next action is consider approval of

the ant. Well, no, we did that. I'm reading the minute. Receive a brief report from scheduled commissioners to track the condition of the cemetery and update the schedule. Well, I toured the cemetery. I'm so glad that I am. And it was absolutely the best looking I've ever seen. I I guess I was fortunate to be here or to be there the day after the first crack out of the box after Memorial Day.

Uh-huh.

I've never seen all the flowers and all the the offerings and so on so fresh and colorful. They haven't been sunsated. They haven't been tattered by the wind. Everything was freshly mowed, looked absolutely wonderful. And I think Jean could point out there is one new event out there. There's a bollard, a yellow bollard that has not been out there before.

I took her by the cruise monument where Birdman participated in that. Someone cut a corner sharply, I'm sure unintentionally, knocked a headstone on on their families. Oh gosh. She contacted Valerie in between Bird City staff and myself and favor a to call in here or there, we installed a valor to retard that happening in the future, and I had a monument company come out and call a favor in and reset the monument for her. So I understand from Valerie, she's tickled pink.

Cool. Yeah. She called in,

and she's very appreciative for her staff, jeans guys, everybody who helped get that set straight. That wasn't the first time her monuments got hit, and it's because it's just so close to the road. So, hopefully, that post will keep it.

I don't see.

Think it was just very

They'll they'll hit the baller before they hit the Yeah. Yeah. She was really happy. Her family was

Over in that upper corner there, the water tower

launch. Uh-huh.

Go right there at that corner, you work bank Gundy and the big old tree where we all are rented. Right there on that corner, if you go down towards the new development portion of it and there's some history behind it. There was some those family plots were extended for her to accommodate a burial with some circumstances behind it. And so it pushed her out into very proximal

Yeah.

To the corner. I mean, her burial property is this is the right of way more or in her border.

And one

It's close. Two feet. That's very close close to roadway. And so if someone I'm sure it was unintentional. It's probably somebody like me old and can't see and ran over it by an accident, but they knocked her head. It's big truck. I I was on the truck. You never know. So but, anyway, it's all corrected, and she appears to be very happy.

I don't look there. I did not see it. I mean, I I went to that. I didn't I drove all the way around there. I didn't see that. Right, Ellen. Plain and fresh.

I know. I I just thought it was a big flower. No. They're not really.

Didn't flowers look good?

They did. It was so pretty. The whole Yeah.

Cemetery looked beautiful. Yep. That's the report. Good. Good. Good. Good. We drove through there Saturday when all the flags were up, and that's always just kinda

Oh, I was wondering if they got put up.

It's always breathtaking to go through and see all that.

Yep.

Okay. We had a lot

of fresh rain, so things would be pretty ingrained.

Yeah. And grow it's a lot of good rain, and

I Oh. Yeah. It's a good reason.

Yeah. I was gonna say yeah.

Here comes Tim. Okay. Now we need a brief staff report on the cemetery extension prod

project. We've had it in review at at permitting, and so now they've sent back their their I haven't received them yet, but I've been told that they're have compiled a list of comments that we have.

I apologize. I was staring at a spreadsheet that I've been trying to get rearranged for a few hours. Jim has just about got us Yeah.

We'll off. And

it started. You know?

That's fine.

So if anything We're trying to be good.

So, Jim, for your information on the cemetery expansion project, we've received comments from our review in permitting, and so now we have to respond to those comments. As soon as I get that list, we'll we'll be responding to them. And been told not to be scared, that there's quite a few, but not none of them are things that we can't resolve move forward. That's that's where we're at right now.

So permitting is different from putting out the bids. Right? Or

Yes. Yes. So we're we're trying to make sure we've got all the documents, everything buttoned up before we go out for bid. Okay. The other thing, were waiting for funding to be released before we go out. That. Gotta have that to be able to secure those those. Yep. That's that's where we're we're at. I think this next month is when potentially have the the

It'll be middle of next month.

Next month. Yeah. So when when the funds become available. So, hopefully, we'll get

these have to go out for bid and Good. All that

stuff. Good.

Good. Good. That was my next question. Did the money get funded?

Yes. Good. Good. Good. So that's that's where we're at. Pretty simple.

Anybody else have any and I think, Adriana, this I don't know if you know that the cemetery is expanding past the Holland kind of that Holland Street.

Kind of across from the vacant property across from Shedwells. Got it.

Yep. Yep. So there's a little over four acres right there that that the city purchased. Used to have homes on it that there's one home that we're planning to do renovation on, like that an office at some point, but all the other homes were not worthy of trying to trying to keep. So we got those demolished, and now we're working on the plans to to get that all turned into to lots for for the public.

Yeah. That's really great. That's really great.

And that's a beautiful piece of mind too. I've always wondered at when I walk around that area, I'm always like, I wonder what's what's going to happen to that part.

So I'm glad that it's cemeteries. Yep.

Yeah.

And that old rock house, you've probably seen that. That has history that goes back way back in Brenda's family.

My dad.

So

That would be really cool to see, like, a historic site designation.

I don't know if it already does

have one, or it'd be cool to see a plaque. I don't know. I don't know. I've worked on the history part of it. I'm ready whenever you're for

me to send it to you. Sorry. And pictures too. Alrighty. Alright. We

don't have anything else.

No? Should she introduce herself to everybody? Yes. What else? There were just a couple of them here.

Hi. Oh, Scott. Yeah. So so I introduced myself to a few of y'all already. My name is Adriana Montoya. I am a first year master's student at Texas State. I'm studying geography halfway through it, so I I don't know if I quite count as a first year already.

I don't know.

Fifth 50% done. I've lived in San Marcos for now five years. I got my undergraduate degree in public administration from Texas State as well. And so my my interest, I guess, in in a cemetery as someone who's not from San Marcos I'm originally from El Paso. I have, I guess, made it made it one of my research interests to to encompass, like, green green spaces and, I guess, expanding our definition of what qualifies as a green space because there are a lot of spaces that are not parks and not trails, but definitely qualify a session, offer a lot of ecosystem benefits to urban areas, especially as urbanization gets really, really expanded in Texas in Texas, particularly especially along I 35 Corridor.

So so, yeah, so I've done research into, you know, the societal and environmental benefits of cemeteries. I've done research into the history of the different Hispanic cemeteries here in San Marcos. I know slightly less about this particular cemetery, but I'm always willing to learn more, and I figured what better way

to learn more than to circle on commission and

help in whatever way I can and hopefully try to, especially in light of, like, the extension project to incorporate, hopefully, some, like, green green planning and sustainability planning in addition to the

and that's already going on for You're obviously more important

to be insured there. So

Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. If there is no other business, do I hear a move to a motion to adjourn?

So moved.

So second it. Okay. Good. You got it. Come on. Be brave.

All those in favor, say aye.

Aye. Aye. Okay. Can you get this the record? This

is the record.

This time is thirty four fourteen minutes.