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District manager reports grounds work, hiring and event plans as citizens raise parking and privacy concerns
Summary
District Manager Clara Bernardo described ongoing maintenance work, a plan to hire two full‑time groundskeepers, and logistics for Veterans Day and a Tree of Remembrance. Members of the public praised grounds improvements but urged better event parking plans and repeated requests for privacy during family consultations.
District Manager Clara Bernardo updated the Tulare Public Cemetery District on grounds maintenance, staffing and upcoming events and said staff are working with vendors and county contacts to address recurring maintenance needs.
Bernardo told the board crews and a contracted gopher service have been trapping weekly, staff are conducting a third round of spraying around headstones for nutgrass per county instruction, and the maintenance team will aerate hard dirt and begin rose pruning in November. She said the district is evaluating a pre‑emergent product to reduce spring weed pressure and is coordinating with vendors and San Joaquin Valley air‑quality contacts on equipment procurement. Bernardo said the district is hiring two full‑time positions to bolster the crew and that she expects new equipment to arrive by spring if contracts are approved.
Why it matters: citizens said they have noticed improved grounds maintenance but asked for clearer logistics for large events and for privacy protections in the public office. Xavier Avila and Mary Cepeda both praised recent grounds work; Avila suggested tracking internment counts by burial type (full body burials vs cremations) to inform pricing policy, and Cepeda suggested arranging parallel parking and traffic direction for the Tree of Remembrance to avoid bottlenecks and safety hazards at the overpass entrance.
Board follow-up Supervisor Mercari asked about the status of an RFP to outsource some maintenance work; Bernardo said the RFP work will continue but was delayed by staff transitions. Board members requested staff pursue vendor contracts for equipment and report back with RFP progress and cost estimates. Members also asked staff to consider event parking plans and to reassert privacy practices in the front office for family consultations.
Background and next steps Bernardo said Veterans Day flag placement remains coordinated with agriculture students and that Tree of Remembrance planning is underway; she and staff are exploring temporary parking options with a neighboring farmer. The board adjourned to closed session at the end of the meeting.
