Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Maintenance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cemetery board reports repairs, new irrigation and Memorial Day cleanup plans
Summary
The South End/Soledad Cemetery Board reported new staff hires, irrigation and fence repairs, a scholarship program, a June Cal Fire cleanup and a Memorial Day cleanup and ceremony scheduled for May 26.
Desiree Barber, a member of the cemetery board, updated the council on operations and improvements at the Soledad Cemetery. Barber praised cemetery staff — naming Mister Olivas, Mister Valdez and Ms. Cornejo — and described ongoing work to correct incomplete records and to map the site.
Barber said Block 1 has been irrigated and re‑turfed after previously being a dirt area, and 25 additional graves were added as Block 0 to provide additional burial capacity while mapping of the dirt side continues. She reported fence repairs had been completed using an insurance payment for damage and said the American Legion is preparing a veterans’ block.
Barber said the board will need to hire a surveyor to establish parcel parameters for a new section where records are unclear. She said Cal Fire has agreed to remove debris from the new section in early June and has requested the cemetery set a temporary fence to define the cleanup area.
Barber asked residents to avoid leaving breakable items (glass, porcelain) and food at gravesites because the items create a safety hazard for grounds crews and attract rodents. The board is offering two $500 scholarships (one male, one female) for local high‑school students and is hosting a Memorial Day cleanup the Saturday before Memorial Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Memorial Day ceremony is set for May 26 at 10 a.m.
Council members thanked the board for the improvements and raised a request to correct Spanish translations on cemetery signs; one council member offered to provide corrected translations.
