CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH

MEMORANDUM

DATE:                        May 05, 2010

TO:                 D. Mike Good, City Manager

FROM:            Commissioner Anthony Sanders

SUBJECT:     Discussion of Establishing an Ad Hoc Cemetery Committee

As we all know our City Cemetery holds a very special and historic place in our Community as this is the place of rest for many of our forefathers and long time Hallandale Beach residents and their families.   Furthermore, the City offers various services, such as a pre-need payment program, sales of cemetery lots, vaults, niches and markers, which ensure competitiveness and further increase potential revenue for the Cemetery Fund.  These services have attracted many non-residents to utilize the City’s cemetery facility, and, based on current staff projections, our cemetery would be at capacity within 15 years.  

I believe it is very important to maintain and preserve our cemetery facility, not only for our current residents, but also for generations to come.  Furthermore, I believe we should work towards ensuring the most efficient use of our facility in order to extend its life time capacity.  In such, I would like to discuss the possibility of establishing an Ad Hoc Cemetery Committee which would evaluate the current status of the City cemetery and provide recommendations regarding the maintenance and preservation of the cemetery’s old/historic section, as well as recommendations on the maintenance and preservation of the cemetery’s “new” section.  Also, as I understand staff is working on a mapping project for the cemetery, I believe this Committee might help review the old documents and proposed sites to ensure the information on the cemetery map is correct.

Accordingly, I would like to discuss with my fellow Commissioners the possibility of establishing an Ad Hoc Cemetery Committee.  Please place on the agenda for the May 19, 2010 Commission meeting for discussion.