Saline City Council Approves Cemetery Repairs

Saline City Council approved two repairs at Oakwood Cemetery at their Oct. 20 meeting, which will involve work being done on the mausoleum roof and the Monroe St. retaining wall. A roof inspection was recommended for the mausoleum due to peeling paint on the interior.

“Once the roof repairs have been made, we will then take a closer look at the painting, right?” DPW Director Zach Haapala said. “I’ve kind of held us firm on not proceeding on the painting, even though we’ve been discussing it for a number of years, prior to me even getting here.”

Haapala stated he wanted to wait for additional concerns until the primary issue of ensuring the interior was protected from outside elements was handled. The repairs planned for the roof itself are minor and will come from the already established cemetery reserve fund.

“There may be a tile here or there that’s broken and needs to just be replaced, but we’re not looking at a huge roof replacement,” Haapala said. “It’s basically just stopping any points of potential infiltration again, where the wall meets the roof. And so once we get that taken care of, then we can confidently say that we can get in there and repaint and do what we need to do.”

In addition, the city was also presented with a proposal and bid from Fleis & Vandenbrink (F&V) at the Oct. 20 meeting. Reinforcement of the existing wall of Oakwood Cemetery that runs along Monroe St. has been discussed by both Council and the cemetery’s board for over a year now. According to the proposal submitted, F&V would include:

• Design any temporary sheet piling or support between the existing wall and new outer wall.
• Preparation for patch, sealing and the integral tie in with the existing wall that is to remain.
• Foundation and integral footing design connection and details
• Design the new concrete retaining wall, top cap, safety railing, drainage, and two drive openings.
• Remove and replace the existing sidewalk.

Cost concerns were raised by Mayor Pro-Tem Janet Dillon since the cemetery brings in a limited revenue, and the two projects proposed would use over half the current perpetual care fund of Oakwood Cemetery.

“I want to just ensure that for future generations that there is financing available to maintain the last resting place of people,” Dillon said. “We’ve made a commitment to people literally in depth, and the city has an obligation to them.”

Haapala confirmed this was one of the last major projects for the cemetery planned for several years, and would still allow the grounds to be maintained.

Both budget items were passed unanimously.