Broadcaster Summer 2005
TABLE OF CONTENTS
77th Annual Fall Conference - September 17-21 -
The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, NY click here
President’s Message click here
10 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE click here
Garden Level of Rosewood Mausoleum Opened click here
Preliminary Findings on Consumer Complaints Filed with FTC click here
SCOTT JOPLIN RETROSPECTIVE click here
28th Annual Public Affairs Seminar click here
This I Believe click here
Kensico Cemetery Hosts Plant Care Seminars click here
GREEN-WOOD HISTORIC CHAPEL NOW A BUSY PLACE click here
GOVERNMENT & LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORT - JUNE 2005 click here
ICFA Supports New York State ‘Funeral Package’ Bills click here
Investment Strategy Comes of Age: Trustees Take Notice click here
NYSAC’s 2005 Maintenance Seminar click here
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77th Annual Fall Conference - September 17-21 - The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, NY
The heart of any conference is the program. And what a program we have lined up for the 77th Annual Fall Conference! Keynoter Steve Adubato, Ph.D., a four-time Emmy Award-winning television anchor, author, university professor, motivational speaker and communications coach, will present “Stand and Deliver: Speak from the Heart”.
Our Special Guest, Todd Little, Director of Bereavement Services for Toland-Herzig Funeral Homes in Ohio believes that cemeterians have a special responsibility to help grieving families. Hear his inspiring message “From Client to Caregiver”.
Industry Expert Steve Schall, Matthews Cremation Division, will discuss “Cremation consumer preferences, trends, and innovative solutions”.
We’ll also hear from NYSAC members Carmen Colao and John O’Brien, and Frank Giglio and the Government and Legal Affairs Committee. Richard Fishman, Director of the Division of Cemeteries will wrap up the program.
Our conference takes place at The Sagamore Resort, situated in the unspoiled Adirondack Mountains. The Sagamore features the Historic Hotel, with its elegant décor, and The Lodges, decorated in a relaxed Adirondack style located on a Lake George island.
For spouses and guests, the Spouses Tour will feature a very special day in the Adirondacks with two charming destinations: a tour of the Hyde Collection and lunch and shopping in Saratoga Springs. The Hyde Collection, a unique museum in Glens Falls, is home to works by masters such as Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, and da Vinci. Lunch will be served at the Olde Bryan Inn, an eighteenth-century landmark, followed by shopping on the “Great American Main Street.”
There’s more: a dinner cruise on Lake George and the stunning Donald Ross golf course. But the best part is seeing old friends and making new ones, exchanging ideas for the betterment of our cemeteries, and returning home with a renewed commitment to our cemeteries and the families that we serve.
See you there!
President’s Message
Dear Members of NYSAC:
Our Fall Conference is just around the corner. Your Chair, Mr. Rick Touchette, his committee, and your Executive Director Beth and her team have assembled a beautiful location and wonderful program.
If you haven’t made your reservation yet, please do so as soon as possible. This conference will sell out!
We have had a productive and active year, thanks to your committees and our legislative representatives, Mr. David Fleming and all of his colleagues at Featherstonhaugh, et al.
It has been my pleasure and honor to serve all of you. I look forward to a very bright future for all of us in the permanent remembrance business – a future that is assured by the talent and commitment of each of you – our NYSAC membership.
Thanking you for the opportunity,
I remain at your service,
Joseph P. Dispenza
10 SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
This is part 3 in a 10 part series on simple ways cemeteries can make a difference in protecting our
environment. Each one will contain examples of projects you can complete on your way to achieving
certification as a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. For further information on this program, contact Audubon International at 418-767-9051 or visit their Web site at www.audubonintl.org.
#3: Add Variety
Plant various heights and types of plants, from ground cover to shrub and tree layers. Adding variety creates more levels of the food chain and helps a diversity of species find their preferred habitat needs.
Consider edging or interrupting a lawn burial area with a garden, consisting of shrubs, annuals and perennials. You will provide breeding and nesting areas and a food source for a wide variety of birds, butterflies and small mammals. You will also create an area of interest to appeal to potential buyers of nearby lots as well as all visitors to your property.
Benefits (to YOU and the environment!)
* Add color and interest to your landscape
* Provide needed food and cover for a diversity of wildlife
* Reduce the amount of turf you have to maintain
* Create “feature” burial areas, perhaps at a higher cost
* Invite a local garden club to design and maintain your garden
Garden Level of Rosewood Mausoleum Opened
On Friday, April 29, Ferncliff Cemetery conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony commemorating the grand opening of its new Garden Level of the Rosewood Mausoleum. Rosewood, which originally opened in late 1999 with the opening of its Promenade and Atrium Levels, has approximately 90,000 square feet of total space on three floors, each of which has a central lobby and four aisles. The opening of the lobby and one aisle of the garden level marks the finishing of half of the twelve aisles of the mausoleum, a steel frame structure that permits each aisle to be poured and finished when and as needed. This first phase of the Garden Level features over 700 single, couch and companion crypts, almost 600 marble, bronze or glass front niches, and more than 350 spaces in its unique, 400 square foot, indoor cremation garden. Ted Hinz of Goldstone and Hinz Architects of New York was the architect responsible for the design and administration of the project whose major contractors included Mullen Construction, Matthews Bronze, and Rohlf Leaded and Stained Glass.
Preliminary Findings on Consumer Complaints Filed with FTC
ICFA staff has reviewed approximately 375 funeral-related consumer complaints filed with the FTC
between January 2003 through December 2004. This number represents about two-thirds of the total
number of complaints received by the ICFA as a result of the association’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to FTC earlier this year. A final tally will be made when the analysis of all complaints has been completed, but at this point certain trends can be identified.
For example, similar to earlier FOIA document requests by ICFA, the majority of consumer complaints in the latest group involve funeral homes. The most common complaints focus on funeral homes’ failing to provide a general price list, objecting over third-party caskets and introducing additional charges when a casket is not purchased through the funeral home. A unique complaint alleged that the funeral director threatened to disinter the deceased and return the remains to the mortuary unless the family signed certain papers.
Other complaints involve cemeteries, third-party casket retailers and monument stores. Subject to the final tally, there appears to be an increase in the number of complaints filed by businesses against competitors, primarily casket retailers against funeral homes. There also appears to be an uptick in the number of consumer complaints being filed against third-party casket retailers and cremation services. The results of the final analysis will be published in late summer. For more information, contact Bob Fells at rfells@icfa.org
SCOTT JOPLIN RETROSPECTIVE
On April 5th, 1985, sixty-eight years to the day after Scott Joplin’s burial, The Brooklyn Opera Society fulfilled the last wish of the composer by playing “Maple Leaf Rag” at his gravesite within St. Michael’s Cemetery. The event was reported in The New York Times and the ceremonies were broadcast nationally on the PBS radio network.
On Saturday, May 21st, 2005 St. Michael’s Cemetery hosted a Retrospective of the music and times that were Scott Joplin. St. Michael’s believes in the celebration of life and commemorated Joplin by having as performers several distinguished pianists, who are renowned for playing rag.
Reginald Robinson, the McArthur Award recipient, was joined by Peter Muir, Ph.D. and Aaron Diehl, with each offering interpretations of Joplin’s music. Magically, the pianists presented variations of Joplin’s compositions that enthralled the assembled audience of over 120 people. To decide whose artistry at the keyboard was better than the other’s would be to argue about angels sitting upon the head of a pin. Each pianist took possession of the open air concert and created excitement as their hands flew across the keyboard.
Dr. Ed A. Berlin, a leading specialist in ragtime and of Scott Joplin, authored the acclaimed text “King of Ragtime: Scott Joplin and His Era.” Dr. Berlin offered insights into the life and times of the composer. Celeste Beatty, owner of Harlem Brewery, provided refreshments and was called to the stage to relate what life was like for her great-grandfather, who performed with Joplin. Pat Conn, daughter of renowned composer Joseph Lamb, told the audience that her father was fascinated by Joplin and continuously sought his company and inspiration.
It was amazing and gratifying for members of the audience to sit on the grass enjoying the music and the sunshine within 30 feet of interments. This situation conveyed an image of St. Michael’s as a dignified yet comfortable park and retreat. Indeed, the image many people have of cemeteries as places of remorse is never evident within St. Michael’s. Superintendent Dennis Werner, formerly of the Central Park Conservancy, is justly proud of the grounds he has sculpted.
Vincent Giordano, who performed music for the movie “The Aviator”, played the tuba and led Dan Levinson on clarinet and John Gill on banjo to Joplin’s gravesite to play “Maple Leaf Rag” in honor of the composer. The trio’s music so hypnotized the audience that they followed them to Joplin’s gravesite as if they were the Pied Pipers of St. Michael’s.
The BBC had a sound engineer present for broadcast of the concert throughout the United Kingdom. Local and regional reporters and photographers busily engaged the artists and members of the audience.
Gus Antonopoulos and Felix Farenga of Farenga & Son Funeral Home contributed food for the event. Gus is a Funeral Director who shares our belief that serving the community is an activity that is not confined to the Funeral Home. They were acknowledged and thanked by the appreciative audience.
People from as far away as Montreal and Michigan attended the concert. At the conclusion of the Retrospective many guests insisted upon being added to our mailing list, ensuring notice of future events to be held at St. Michael’s. Clearly the Cemetery will continue to reach beyond our fences to offer comfort, remembrance and celebration to those we have served since 1852.
By Edward Horn, Director of Community Affairs, (718) 278 3240
28th Annual Public Affairs Seminar
The 28th Annual Public Affairs Seminar was held on May 2nd and 3rd at the Desmond in Colonie- just outside our state’s capital. The sessions allowed lots of dialog between Association members and both the Division of Cemeteries and the New York State Cemetery Board. In addition, there were updates on the many bills in the legislative process that could affect the cemetery industry in New York.
Over 36 cemeteries were represented and more than 100 participants, including cemeterians, suppliers, attorneys as well as the above mentioned Division and Cemetery Board members.
The success of this annual educational event is due to the talented team of our Executive Director Beth Seme and her staff, as well as our generous sponsors: BLP Bronze International* The Treiber Group, LLC* AEGIS Investigations and Security, Ltd.* Merendino Cemetery Care* Matthews International Corporation* The Regan Agency, Inc.* and Morgan Stanley.
Some of the comments on the surveys that were returned were:
“I wouldn’t change a thing. A great conference!”
“Very helpful.”
“It was my first time and I learned a lot about cemetery law.”
“Very informative.”
If you didn’t get a chance to attend this year, make sure you put this seminar on your agenda next year. It’s a chance to gain first-hand knowledge about current cemetery legislation as well as to get to meet our regulators face-to-face. One of the best aspects of the conference is that it is a place to meet new peers and to renew acquaintances with other New York cemeterians.
Thanks to everyone.
Harry Caretsky, Conference Chair
This I Believe
Ed Horn (St. Michaels Cemetery) recently was named Man of the Year by the Christopher Santora Educational Scholarship Fund, at its Fourth Annual Dinner Dance. Chris was one of the youngest firefighters to have died at the Twin Towers and his interment at St. Michael’s was the motivator for the creation of the 9/11 Queens Firefighter Memorial. What follows are Ed’s comments to hundreds of NYFD families at the event. Congratulations Ed!
The renowned reporter Edward R. Murrow began a series entitled “This I Believe” some years ago. Recently it returned to radio.
As the recipient of this year’s Man of the Year award I wish to share with you my own beliefs.
I have no idea what makes people volunteer to run into burning buildings or to confront life threatening situations. If it’s courage or madness it makes no difference. The facts are that first responders step forward as the rest of us turn to run.
The uniformed services take an oath that binds them to act heroically day after day. Accepting the obligation a kinship is created among yourselves. You are the Band of Brothers who fight the daily wars civilians confront, and perhaps create. Be it saving a cat or a person you place yourself at risk simply to perform your duty. Your devotion, loyalty and honor are displayed every time you decide to wear the uniform and show up to work.
Years ago when I attempted to wear the uniform of the United States Marine Corp as a Second Lt. a wily Sergeant asked me if I knew the difference between a General and a Lt.. His answer was “the Lt. says follow me, the General says go ahead!”
I have unfortunately said on several occasions “Why isn’t there a Cop when you need one?” I have usually uttered this sentiment right after I received a moving violation and believed that the Officer had better things to do than pull me over.
Well I have come to learn that civilians are the Generals and the uniformed services the Lt. It is so easy for us to say “Go ahead” as we turn in the other direction. I have also learned that when in need I could always depend upon this nation’s first responders. It is peculiar how loved you become by us civilians when we need you.
The attacks of 9/11 were horrific and the losses beyond comprehension. The evil of that day which cost all of us so dearly dealt a devastating blow to the first responders who came to save lives and were caused to loose their own. No words will ever be available to express the agony America and the free world suffered that day.
Yet in reality 9/11 was only an extreme example of what members of the NYFD and other uniformed services face day after day. At the Trade Center and at the Pentagon first responders saved thousands. And every day before and after the attacks firefighters, police, EMT and others have done the same.
You are the backbone of civilization. You hardly receive the respect and appreciation that is your due. I may be Man of the Year for this night, but all of you are Man of the Year day after day.
On behalf of all those you have saved I thank you and know that tonight, like all other nights I can rest easy that my loved ones remain under your protection. You are the best of this nation.
Kensico Cemetery Hosts Plant Care Seminars
Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, NY partnered with two organizations this spring to offer pruning and
native plant selection seminars for the public.
On May 14 Kensico Cemetery and The Care of Trees in Elmsford, NY co-sponsored a free one-hour outdoor workshop at the Cemetery on the proper way to prune shrubs and trees. Conducted by Michael Cook. Jr., an ISA-Certified Arborist from The Care of Trees, the workshop included tips and techniques for protecting the health, value and aesthetics of shrubs and trees. Participants learned why pruning is important, when to prune, and how to select and use pruning tools safely and effectively. With hundreds of varieties of native and ornamental plants and trees, Kensico is the ideal setting for a pruning demonstration,” said Cook.
On June 1, Kensico Cemetery hosted a field trip for members of the Native Plant Center in Valhalla, the first national affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
The field trip was conducted by Richard Schnall, Vice President of Rosedale Nurseries and a board member at Kensico Cemetery. He described how the cemetery selects native plants based on soil conditions, visual interest, wildlife support, color display, and maintenance requirements. Participants then toured a landscaped area of the cemetery as Schnall pointed out each native plant specimen and its characteristics.
GREEN-WOOD HISTORIC CHAPEL NOW A BUSY PLACE
In the late 1970’s, lack of use forced Green- Wood Cemetery to close its Historic Chapel. It remained shuttered for over twenty years. That has now changed. In 2001, Green-Wood decided that it was time to restore this magnificent structure and explore creative uses for it.
The Historic Chapel dates from 1911 and was designed by the prominent architectural firm of Warren and Wetmore, which won the design competition. That firm also designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, the New York Yacht Club, and the Yale Club. For its work on the Chapel restoration, Green-Wood was awarded the Lucy G. Moses Award by the New York Landmarks Conservancy and a citation for Excellence in Historic Preservation by the Preservation League of New York State.
Since its reopening, the Chapel has been used for a wide variety of events including funerals, employee meetings, meetings of the cemetery’s Board of Trustees, Smithsonian traveling exhibits, student and professional art exhibitions, music and dance performances, lectures and book readings.
This year, crowds gathered in the Historic Chapel to hear Indian story-tellers, an expert on George Catlin, and even for a wedding. On February 26, Donna Couteau Cross and husband, Joe Cross, volunteered their skills as nationally-known Indian story-tellers to raise money for the restoration of the monument to Do-Hum-Me, the Indian Princess who died in 1843. That monument was designated a high priority restoration by the cemetery president, Richard J. Moylan, when he included it in Green-Wood’s ground-breaking “Saved in Time” preservation program. Donations were collected from the enthusiastic crowd and a journey was made to the gravesite, which concluded with a prayer for Do-Hum-Me’s spirit. With these donations, restoration work will proceed to completion.
Just a few weeks later, on April 9, Joan Trocolli, a leading expert on George Catlin (who made a career of painting Indians and their customs), traveled from the Denver Art Museum, where she is senior curator, to fascinate a packed chapel with tales of the love story of George and his wife Clara. And, on June 1, a radiant Melissa Rachleff and a beaming Carey Burtt took their marriage vows in the Chapel. The service was followed by a walking tour for the wedding guests led by cemetery historian Jeff Richman.
And there’s more to come. In the fall, Kenneth D. Ackerman, author of Boss Tweed: The Rise and Fall of the Corrupt Pol Who Conceived the Soul of Modern New York, will lecture on this infamous Green-Wood resident. And, in the Spring of 2006, the Chapel will host an exhibit from the archives of the A.S.P.C.A. Henry Bergh, its founder, also rests at Green-Wood.
GOVERNMENT & LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORT - JUNE 2005
The 2005 legislative session is heating up. The Committee along with Featherstonhaugh, Wiley,
Clyne & Cordo, LLP, are working diligently on behalf of the members of the New York State
Association of Cemeteries. A special thanks to David Fleming for his efforts during a difficult legislative session.
The following are bills that are being closely monitored:
A) Crematory legislation
B) Abandoned Cemetery Maintenance by Cemetery Corporations;
Passed Senate 6/1/05, 57-0
C) Winter Burials
D) Other Legislation – Brodsky/Leibell
1) A.7822-S.5237 – Protection against corporate financial fraud and abuse
2) A.7823-S.5236 – Constitutes class E felony to knowingly remove an interred body without permission
3) A.7825-S.5235 – Protection against corporate fraud and abuse
California is the first state in the nation to adopt “Mini-Sarbanes-Oxley” bill.
I would like to ask all our members and suppliers to be as generous as possible to this year’s Legal Fund drive which is underway.
I look forward to seeing you at the Sagamore in September. I wish everyone a very enjoyable summer.
Frank F. Giglio
Chairman
ICFA Supports New York State ‘Funeral Package’ Bills
The ICFA has contacted key members of the New York State Assembly to express the Association’s support for companion bills A 7151 and S 4209, which would permit funeral homes to give consumers the option of selecting funeral service packages in addition to the current practice of selecting itemized funeral goods and services. The ICFA states: “In particular, consumers wishing to purchase the components of a traditional funeral will find that a packaged arrangement can result in discounts and cost savings that would not be available through itemized purchases.”
New York is apparently the only state that does not permit funeral homes to offer funeral packages to the public. The ICFA also commented on the recently published Wirthlin Study of American Attitudes Toward Ritualization and Memorialization (January 2005), which consistently indicates that consumers want as many options as possible in selecting their funeral, burial and memorialization services. “The enactment of A 7151 and S 4209 will provide consumers in New York State with the same wide array of funeral planning options that consumers experience in all the other states with the potential for cost savings on their purchasing decisions.”
The 2005 Wirthlin Study of American Attitudes Toward Ritualization and Memorialization is available online at the ICFA Store at www.icfa.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc.
Investment Strategy Comes of Age: Trustees Take Notice
By: Joseph P. Lizzio, CFP, CIMA, Senior Vice President, Morgan Stanley
World events over the past decade have changed the complexion of the economic landscape and the
financial markets. Prior to this, being a trustee on an investment committee was like being a member of a country club. The returns delivered in the 80’s and 90’s were nothing short of stellar and made being a trustee simple. Now all of that has changed due to a series of world events. Today trustees have their work cut out for them and they will be held accountable for their actions as well as inactions. They also need to be savvy about investing, and be forward thinking intellectuals because investment strategy has come of age.
Corporate malfeasance, terrorist attacks on our own soil, wars, spiking energy prices, globalization - which is forcing compression of profit margins, threats of protectionism, volatile financial markets, and the tightening of interest rates by the United States Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed) has made the world a more dangerous environment in which to invest. For those trustees attuned to world events, this has been the impetus to revisit the integrity of the investment programs they are administering and make procedural adjustments accordingly. Others though, maybe even a vast majority, have chosen to leave their investment programs “stuck in yesteryear” as if nothing has transpired. This in effect, has left many organizations in a precarious position and that needs to be addressed.
During the last two decades of the twentieth century, stocks as measured by the S&P 500 Index produced 17.87% annually, while bonds as represented by the Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index produced 10.04%. Not a bad time to be a member of an investment committee! Oh, but weren’t there some really terrifying events that took place during that time you say? Well, you are right. The market crashed in 1987, the Gulf War erupted in 1990, the Fed raised interest rates six times in 1994, in 1997 we had the “Asian Contagion” and in 1998 we had a replay of the crisis in the emerging markets coupled with the Long Term Capital Management debacle. Those were all very scary events and during the brief period of time that each occurred, investors lost a lot of money. However, for the entire 20 year period, stocks were negative for only two years (1981 & 1990) while bonds posted positive returns in each year with the exception of 1994. Contrast that to the 2000-2004 period where stocks (S&P 500) returned negative 2.30% annually and the results were negative in three of the five years. Sure bonds were up 7.71% annually during the period but the typical portfolio wasn’t loaded up with bonds coming out of the ‘90’s! If you can remember, investors were enamored with growth stocks, specifically technology companies and overly exposed to them. Just the same, even if portfolios were balanced with 70% in stocks (S&P 500) and 30% in bonds (LB Aggregate) the performance was only 0.94% annually over the past five years. Not too good, but wait a minute, it gets worse; this happened while inflation, as measured by the CPI, was up 2.49%. This means that many portfolios at the very least lost purchasing power, which is really what counts and this happened when interest rates touched some of the lowest levels seen since the 1950’s! This has been a difficult period and there seems no end is in sight. Excess returns or “Alpha” as we refer to it in the investment business is simply very hard to find and if you need proof, just look at how returns for the once hailed hedge fund managers have dwindled of late. A couple of years ago returns of 15% or more were commonplace. Yet, for the trailing one year period ending May 2005, the CSFB/Tremont Hedge Fund Index, which is often looked to as the bellwether for the industry, is only up 6.92% and the last six months, only 1.64%. Maybe that is why interest in them has waned somewhat. Double digit returns or excess returns are scarce for sure. With this, investment strategy (which is embedded in process) is paramount especially now.
A good investment strategy is brought about by a clearly defined investment process. Without a process in place, the strategy is likely to be superficial at best; or worse a figment of one’s imagination. The investment process has three main components; analysis, implementation and evaluation. All three are important but it is during the analysis phase that strategy incubates and this is where I would like to focus my attention, at least for this article. It is here that the mission the trustees are seeking to achieve is put forth. The mission can then be translated into defined investment objectives which allows the board to then formulate a strategy which it believes will likely permit it to achieve its goals. With this as the backdrop, and the help of a competent investment professional, the portfolio in terms of its risk/reward characteristics can develop. Hence, the asset allocation model is born.
This is all quite rudimentary you might say; but the fact is that many boards have only gone this far and often it was done “way back when” and hasn’t been revisited since. Further, the methodology used to make investment decisions hasn’t changed much and that is my biggest concern; that trustees have not adapted to the new paradigm. You see, growth stocks really did roll over, the NASDAQ did dip 76% peak to trough and 911 no longer only pertains to the telephone. Sure risk always came in different flavors but now the list has expanded to include even the unthinkable. “Holy cow Batman!”
So you ask; where am I going with all this? In light of the events of say the last decade, investment committees should have made provisions in the investment process which will safeguard an organizations’ assets should any of the past problems repeat themselves. The most obvious example of what I am talking about is; what would an organization do if there was another terrorist attack? Who would be responsible to do what? Would the board behave exactly as it did in the past or would it have learned from the past experience? On a lighter note, suppose the stock market got over-valued like it did in early 2000? Have “frameworks” been created that would prompt the board to take “chips off the table” and not leave the assets fully exposed while the masses are intoxicated with greed? Or how about when the market gets under-valued like it did at the end of 2002? What system or mechanism has been introduced into the investment program that will assist the board to act tactfully while others are immersed in doom and gloom? Thinking along these lines is what investment strategy has come to include. If an investment program hasn’t been modified to address such things it simply isn’t current with the times in which we live.
Frameworks, systems, mechanisms; call them what you will but they are all tools that assist with decision making. They were always necessary, along with detailed procedures in the investment process. However, now an investment program that doesn’t have them is clearly deficient and the trustees should be on notice. Not only is assessing risk necessary, like it always was, but there now needs to be contingency plans in place for when risk in the financial world increases or decreases. Trustees with the help of their investment consultant should install the tools necessary to deal with just about anything in this new world. Moving forward, the decisions trustees make in this challenging environment are going to have huge implications and many organizations’ investment programs still need to be revisited to make them current with the times. If trustees take the time to do this, their organization will be prepared for whatever may lie ahead. Investment strategy has come of age.
NYSAC’s 2005 Maintenance Seminar
On February 28, 2005, the New York State Association of Cemeteries conducted a cemetery maintenance
seminar at the New York State Turfgrass Association’s Southeast Regional Conference held at the
Tarrytown Hilton in Tarrytown, New York. The seminar was attended by 25 NYSAC members from a dozen cemeteries located in the southeast region of the state. Attendees were also eligible to participate in the trade show and all the programs conducted by the Turfgrass Association including sessions that discussed the recent New York Turfgrass survey, legislative and regulatory developments, New York State DEC regulations, Community Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, and DEC and OSHA inspection preparations.
Gino Merendino of Merendino Cemetery Care did an outstanding job moderating the Cemetery Maintenance session. Gino devised and conducted a unique and fast moving round-table-style discussion of a number of cemetery maintenance issues that permitted attendees to share different ideas regarding grave openings and closings, turf and monument protection, employee and visitor safety, and equipment and procedure innovations.
Based upon the survey results received, the vast majority of attendees believed the session was worthwhile and indicated a willingness to attend the conference again next year. Many indicated they would like to see the cemetery session expanded from a single one-hour session to two or three sessions so that issues can be more thoroughly discussed. The maintenance committee of NYSAC will seek to organize similar cemetery maintenance seminars in conjunction with the Turfgrass Association’s Western and Adirondack Regional Conferences which are also held in February or March each year.