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Cemetery superintendent reports $300,000 in recent investments and new mapping system; city matched ARPA funds
Summary
Cemetery superintendent Jeff Wineske reported on a year of maintenance and capital work funded by $150,000 in ARPA funds plus a $150,000 match from cemetery extension funds, including HVAC and flooring repairs, a mapping software contract and irrigation and electrical upgrades.
Jeff Wineske, cemetery superintendent for Michigan City, told the Common Council on July 15 that the city used an ARPA allocation and matching cemetery funds to complete a range of maintenance and capital projects at Swan Lake and Greenwood cemeteries.
Wineske said the council provided $150,000 in ARPA funds a year earlier; the cemetery board matched that with $150,000 from cemetery extension funds. Major items he listed included replacement of two rooftop HVAC units at the Serenity Mausoleum for about $31,000, new flooring across cemetery buildings for about $36,000, and a cemetery mapping software contract with SemSites for approximately $55,000 to date with an annual licensing fee to follow. The mapping system will allow the public to find graves, add obituaries and view plot locations online.
Wineske also described purchases and work paid from the matching funds: a new irrigation system and fountain for Swan Lake; a large tractor for field mowing; electrical upgrades including LED lighting and Veterans Circle lighting (roughly $30,000); a repaired pump house and well to serve the Swan Lake pond; new fuel islands to address OSHA concerns; and a new swan shelter constructed with donated labor.
Operational data: Wineske said there were 247 interments last year (124 full ground burials, 107 cremation interments, 16 entombments) and reported 2024 sales of $367,865.10 and interest income of about $96,000. He said two permanent maintenance funds cannot be spent and only the interest is available for operations.
Community and partnerships: Wineske credited multiple city departments and community groups — street department, parks, central maintenance, sanitation, IT, Guardian Riders, American Legion — for donated equipment, labor or fundraising that reduced costs. He said the cemetery has purchased a commercial lawn roller to address mole-hill complaints and that seasonal staff reduced Greenwood mowing cycles from six weeks to three.
Why it matters: The presentation gives the council a year-end accounting of maintenance investments and describes a new public-facing mapping capability and continuing investments intended to improve safety, accessibility and record-keeping.
Council reaction: Council members praised the work and thanked Wineske and staff for improvements to facilities and care of the swans. No formal council action was required on July 15.
