St Andrew's
Church
Cemetery Policy
(Revised March, 2008)
We, the members of the St. Andrew’s parish, are proud
of our cemetery and are making every effort to keep it in a respectable condition. Therefore, over the years the cemetery
committee has passed a number of regulations to make this task as easy as
possible.
A caretaker is employed each year to take care of the
mowing and trimming of the grass.
Unfortunately the budget for the caretaker does not cover all the
maintenance and upkeep that is required.
Over the years “work bees” and “sponsored projects” have been held to do
some extra work, such as painting fence posts, straightening posts, planting
new posts, etc. However, except for the
mowing, the maintenance of individual
plots is the responsibility of the family to which it is assigned.
General rules of maintenance are as follows:
Grave sites must be left plain except for markers and/or flowers. Existing trees must be removed and no trees
are to be planted. The plot must be flat
and level with the surroundings in order to simplify mowing. Boxes, fences, etc. must not be placed on
sites unless they are placed in an area within two (2) feet in front and at the
side of the head stone. The trimming of
grass around these boxes or fences is the responsibility of the family. Ornamental shrubs must be maintained and
trimmed to a maximum height of three (3) feet.
Lots that have been continually neglected by the family will be cleared
and seeded. Note: Local citizens are available for hire. The wardens can offer names when requested.
Snow removal at the time of a funeral is the responsibility of the
family of the deceased. Snow plows are
not to be used in the cemetery. A snow
blower may be used to open the roadway.
Only a hand blower or shovel should be used to open around graves. After the burial the family must arrange to have
the excess ground or gravel removed, the site raked, and grass or seed planted. Later, the family must arrange to have old
wreaths and flowers removed, have sunken graves filled, leveled and seeded, and
have the headstones straightened when this is deemed necessary.
Lots
may be assigned in advance of need, but will only be held if the annual maintenance fee of $20.00 is
being paid. Those who have been assigned lots, and are not
paying the annual maintenance fee, will lose their rights to this lot. That lot may then be reassigned to another
member.
At
the time of need, the following fees apply:
Full members -- no cost for
initial arrangement
Associate
members -- $150 per plot
Non members
/ Others -- $300 per plot
For a definition of these terms, please see “Definition of Membership” below.
To ensure the continued maintenance of the grave sites
long after we are all gone, the cemetery committee has established a Cemetery Memorial Fund. We invite each person intending to be buried
in York, as well as other members, relatives and friends, to make a donation to
this fund. Any donation will be
appreciated but if we each choose to contribute $500 or more, our objective of $100
000 will easily be reached, and we can rest assured that the interest on that
money will maintain the
The Annual
Maintenance Fee ($20) and donations to the Cemetery Memorial Fund can be placed in the appropriate envelope
(sent annually to all members) or mailed to Gary Clark, treasurer, Cemetery
Committee, 1010 Boul. De York O,
Definition of
Membership: A “Full Member” of the St. Andrew’s
congregation has paid a $100 or more during the previous calendar year. Those who have contributed less are “Associate Members”. Those who have not contributed are “Non Members / Others”.