Leadington hears report on Woodlawn Cemetery

LEADINGTON –  The Leadington Board of Aldermen heard a status report on the data verification and record consolidation of Woodlawn Cemetery at their regular monthly meeting, held Tuesday night at city hall.

The report was presented by Brenda Mattingly and John Fingerhut of Designer1_4 CADD Support LLC. The company was hired by the city to organize the records and verify the ownership of plots and burial locations in the cemetery which was recently taken over by the city.

Mattingly handed out three diagrams to board members, each representing a different section of the cemetery. The diagrams show the location of trees, brush and other physical attributes of the property, as well as plots already purchased and those still available for sale.

Mayor Troy Dickens praised Mattingly and Fingerhut’s work, saying, “The progress is looking really good.”

Mattingly and Fingerhut told board members that, after approximately 170-180 hours of work, approximately 46 percent of the project is complete.”

“We estimate that we may be able to get this done earlier. I feel that now the pace is really going to pick up,” said Fingerhut. 

Following the presentation, the board approved payment of a bill presented by the pair for work completed to date.

Options for the provision of lawn services at the cemetery were also discussed. Last year, an individual was hired to cut the lawn using the city’s lawnmower; and two high school students were paid to weed eat. While stating that doing the same again this year would be the most inexpensive direction for the city to take, Dickens said other possibilities included the use of inmates from the Farmington Correctional Center and putting an ad in the Daily Journal seeking bids from lawn care services. After lengthy discussion, it was decided to check into the availability of rehiring the individual and teens who performed the work last year. The city is also going to look into the possibility of obtaining two correctional center inmates to weed eat and will be placing an advertisement in the newspaper seeking bids for mowing and weed eating.

Alderman Steve Kinsey informed the board that mowing the cemetery lawn takes a full 10 hours. He also said the cost of hiring someone to oversee the inmates while working in the cemetery would have to be taken into account when comparing the cost of the various options.

In other action by the board:

A prototype city newsletter to be handed out to residents by city workers and placed in local businesses was discussed. Alderwoman Casie Braddy said she would like to see a “fun facts” section added to the newsletter. Mayor Dickens suggested that all board members might want to submit items for inclusion.

Board members learned that an emergency repair of a fiberglass ridge cap on the roof of the police station recently took place. Dickens told the board the repairs were made by J&J General Contractors who submitted a bill to the city for $250. The board voted unanimously to pay the bill.

The mayor advised the board that a citizen living on Flat River Road had made a number of complaints to the city about excessive noise coming from the Wild Horse Saloon. Discussion was held between board members regarding the validity of the complaints, but ultimately no action was taken.

A special board meeting was set for 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, to pass an ordinance on the slate for the April 3 municipal election. So far, only incumbent aldermen Steve Kinsey and Debbi Matthews have filed to retain their seats.

Minutes for meetings held during the month of December were approved.

The city’s semi-annual financial statement was approved.

Outstanding bills were approved for payment.

Kevin R. Jenkins is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at kjenkins@dailyjournalonline.com.