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CEMETERY COMMISSION 2021/04/28 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest is subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Individuals with disa bilities who plan to attend this meeting and who require certain accommodations in order to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting, or who have questions regarding the accessibility of the meeting or the facilities, are required to contact City Manager Jason Wicha at (847) 234-2600 promptly to allow the City to make reasonable accommodations for those persons. CEMETERY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES LAKE FOREST CEMETERY ZOOM MEETING WEDNESDAY, April 28, 2021, 5:00 P.M. I. ROLL CALL TO ORDER Chairman O’Brien called the April 28, 2021 Zoom meeting of the Cemetery Commission to order at 5:00PM. In accordance with State of Illinois statutes, he made a determination that it was not practical or prudent to schedule an in-person Cemetery Commission meeting due to the Covid-19 pandemic and for that reason the special April 28, 2021 Cemetery Commission meeting woukd be held remotely. The following commissioners: Dennis O’ Brien, John Anderson, David Hooke, Rommy Lopat, and Robert Thornburgh were present, as well as Chuck Myers and Phil Alderks representing City Staff. Secretary-Treasurer, Jason Wicha, was absent. Chairman O’Brien declared a quorum of commissioners to be present and the meeting was to be considered a formal meeting of the Cemetery Commission, with all actions undertaken at the meeting to be deemed enforceable. II. APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 3, 2021 MINUTES Chairman O’Brien asked for the approval and ratification of the February 3, 2021 minutes of the Cemetery Commission meeting. Commissioner Lopat requested the addition of a paragraph to the minutes tn page five under Cemetery Updates to memorialize the questions she asked to Mr. Bergman. She requested a caveat be included to note that a short paragraph authored by her will be added to the February 2021 minutes. Chairman O’Brien noted Commissioner Lopat’s request and reminded commissioners that the purpose of the minutes is not to reiterate everything that is commented on during a meeting, but rather to record only the items that may require action by the Cemetery Commission. Chairman O’Brien noted three additional corrections to the minutes: in the second paragraph on Page Four under Chairman’s Comments, the last name of O.C. Simonds is misspelled, on the next line down the word “excavation” should be “application” and on the last line of the paragraph “state level” should be “second level”. Motion by Chairman O’Brien to approve the meeting minutes from February 3, 2021 with the addition of a paragraph from Commissioner Lopat and the three corrections to the second paragraph on Page Four. Seconded by Commissioner Anderson. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT Dennis O’Brien, Chairman John Anderson David Hooke Rommy Lopat Robert Thornburgh STAFF PRESENT Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks, Forestry & Cemetery Phil Alderks, Cemetery Sexton ABSENT Jason Wicha, Secretary Treasurer OTHERS PRESENT Tony Hoban, William Blair Dani Spann, Zoom Meeting Web Host Manager April 28, 2021 Page 2 III. FIRST QUARTER INVESTMENT REPORT Tony Hoban from William Blair and Company reported on the Cemetery investment accounts for the first quarter of 2021. He reported the total portfolio for the first quarter of 2021 is up 2.3%. The stock market is up 6.2% and our portfolio equities were up 3.6%. He noted due to investment in growth stocks, the growth benchmark was surpassed but we lagged the market. The fixed income portfolio is down 3.1%. This decrease was largely due to the rise in interest rates during the quarter. The Barclays aggregate, from historical reference, is the one to which the fixed income portfolio has been compared to and this was down 3.4%. We very modestly outperform but are negative for the quarter. The international investments of 2.1% versus the overall up 3.6%. Value outperforming growth is the major reason for the underperformance there. Commissioner Lopat questioned whether in an environment of high volatility if additional cash would be taken out of the portfolio. Mr. Hoban indicated the portfolio can withstand periods of volatility and there are no plans to take money out of these investments. Commissioner Thornburgh raised the issue of an outdated index at the last Commission meeting. Mr. Hoban indicated that change was made and some of the language was changed with regard to indexes, but this did not result in any meaningful changes. Mr. Hoban indicated Tim Gleason will be added to the team to formally work with him on the Cemetery’s portfolio, but Mr. Hoban will continue to be the primary point person for the account. Chairman O’Brien noted there have been no major changes to the policy except to update outdated terms. The change to the investment policy is that every five years the Commission will review the investment manager relationship and its performance, and this may result in a request for proposal to be initiated, but not required. Regarding policy approval from the City Council, Chairman O’Brien indicated the Commission will present our investment policy with our ranges and the Finance Committee will decide if our asset allocation is acceptable. The Finance Committee and the City Council will suggest changes or agree to the submitted policy. Motion by Chairman O’Brien directing Tony Hoban to continue with current investment strategy regarding Lake Forest Cemetery investment with William Blair & Company. Second by Commissioner Thornburgh. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Chairman O’Brien for the Cemetery Commission to accept the updated investment policy which will be forwarded to the City Council for their final approval. Second by Commissioner Anderson. Motion carried unanimously. IV. CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS The Chairman had two comments for this meeting: 1. Apologies were extended to the Commission regarding the Memorial Garden subcommittee. He had proposed the establishment of the subcommittee, but due to his work schedule over the past three months, he has been unfortunately unable to initiate that process. April 28, 2021 Page 3 2. Regarding the Memorial Garden Phase II project, the Chairman is aware that the City Council is considering a 5-year loan to the Ragdale Foundation at a competitive rate of 2%. The Cemetery Commission had a proposal from Lake Forest Bank and Trust for a 10-year loan with an initial interest rate of 1.75%. He believes the Commission should pursue a discussion with Elizabeth Holleb to determine if the City has changed their position since we last broached the subject of financing the Phase II loan. Lake Forest Bank and Trust is providing the Commission with a 10-year loan as opposed to the 5-year loan being proffered to Ragdale by the City. Based on the performance and 10% return on investments with William Blair over the last 12 ½ years, they are confident of continued returns at least in the 5-7% range, and this creates the opportunity to have our own arbitrage between the lending opportunity and use of our invested funds. If we opted to shorten the loan by going with the City for a 5-year loan, the option would cost us almost $800,000, since we would lose 5 years of investing at 8-10% as opposed to only having a 2% cost for investment funds. Chairman O’Brien is in favor of having a discussion with Elizabeth Holleb to see if the City is interested in providing a loan to the Commission, but they would have to match the terms offered by Lake Forest Bank and Trust and stay within the competitive interest rate range. Depending on when the Commission plans to start the construction project, a decision on financing will need to be made soon. V. REVENUE EXPENSE REPORT Chairman O’Brien indicated the main item to look at is the revenues exceeding our expenses to March that shows the Cemetery is in the black by $70,000 for operations as the operation revenue was covering capital expense. We are slightly under budget but relatively strong. The Sexton has reported over $80,000 in lot and niche sales for April, so with this in mind, we are doing well and hitting or exceeding our budget. Commissioner Lopat indicated she would like for professional services to be broken out in the capital statements going forward. Chairman O’Brien indicated the budget process is initiated in the fall and, if the Commission sees fit, they can request a breakdown of professional fees to be included in the budget process. This report is the condensed version of the Revenue/Expense Report; the City has all the detailed accounts and at any point in time we would be able to extrapolate the details behind any line item as per the way the City’s software breaks that information out. Commissioner Lopat asked how the public could investigate the budget, noting she is in the Garden Club and needs to know these answers when queried about the Cemetery by her fellow members. Chairman O’Brien indicated members of the public could extrapolate this information by reviewing the details in the City budget. The Cemetery Commission does not publish its complete financial records to the public. If the cost of a project or consultant exceeds $25,000, the City has guidelines requiring a formal process that involves placing the project out for competitive bids before a contractor is selected for the project. Superintendent Myers indicated the City Manager is now handling projects differently and has directed staff to break up design and construction projects to reduce the need for departments to return to the City Council to adjust the cost of projects. April 28, 2021 Page 4 VI. CEMETERY UPDATES A. Ravine Sawyer Project Update Superintendent Myers reported the Sawyer project has been underway for about two weeks and, depending on the weather, the RES company expects to complete the earthwork in the next two weeks. Once the initial earthwork has been finished, the bluff will be essentially rebuilt and it will be completed with seeding and plantings. There have been a few glitches as is to be expected with any project, but so far everything has been worked through. Ted Gray, the consultant and key engineer for Living Waters, is providing construction oversight and making sure the RES crew is meeting the specs. We did have to close off a portion of the Cemetery for the safety of others, but also to allow the contractor to be able to work without distraction. We included a contingency in this project for things that might arise and the Commission approved that. Ted Gray advised that adding a layer of geo grid would be a good idea to help the soil adheres to the J-Drain, but we will keep the project under budget and within the contingency that was allowed. Commissioner Anderson suggested that if the next Cemetery Commission meeting is held in-person, it may be beneficial for Commission members to walk over to the site to see what has been accomplished. He inquired if the ravine work was guaranteed for a specified period of time. Superintendent Myers pointed out that since bluffs and ravines are dynamic and constantly changing, it is difficult for an engineer to provide an absolute guarantee, although the project is being built with the expectation that it will last for thirty to forty years. B. Memorial Garden Phase II Project Update Superintendent Myers indicated that since the subcommittee has been unable to hold a meeting, nothing has moved forward except that the preliminary plan to be used by the subcommittee was updated. He noted the next step is to hold a meeting of the subcommittee and offered to participate as a member. Chairman O’Brien indicated his willingness to continue as a member of the subcommittee after his term on the Cemetery Commission has expired. Commissioner Anderson inquired about the composition of the subcommittee, understanding that members include Commissioner Lopat, Chairman O’Brien, and Superintendent Myers. He indicated he would be back in Lake Forest in three weeks and would also like to be participate in the subcommittee at that time. Commissioners agreed that the subcommittee would be comprised of Commissioner Lopat, Ex-Officio Chairman O’Brien, Commissioner Anderson, and Superintendent Myers. VII. REVIEW OF LAKE FOREST CEMETERY INVESTMENT POLICY Chairman O’Brien indicated the Commission’s investment policy requires a re-evaluation and due diligence review of the performance of our investment advisor every five years. A similar proposal evaluation took place four or five years ago. Investment managers were interviewed and the Commission decided to retain William Blair based on their performance, accessibility, and presentations at each Commission meeting. He encouraged Commissioners to discuss whether the Commission should retain William Blair as the investment advisor or consider sending out a request for proposals. April 28, 2021 Page 5 VIII. REVIEW OF THE PERFORMANCE OF WILLIAM BLAIR AND COMPANY Commissioners engaged in a brief discussion of William Blair’s performance and were generally impressed by the investment advisor. It was determined that there is no contract with William Blair, and their investment services could be terminated at any time. Commissioner Lopat inquired about the fee charged by William Blair; Chairman O’Brien was unable to provide a specific number but indicated the fee is between 500 and 700 basis points, which places the fee in the competitive range. The exact fee number would need to be obtained from the William Blair proposal. Motion by Chairman O’Brien to forego a request for proposals and retain William Blair as the Commission’s financial advisor based on the performance of the past five years. Second by Commissioner Thornburgh. Motion carried unanimously. IX. APPROVAL OF CONTRACT WITH MARIANI LANDSCAPING FOR MOWING AND TRIMMING SERVICES Superintendent Myers reminded Commissioners that when the operating budget was being formulated at the previous meeting, discretionary funds were requested from the City to add additional Cemetery grounds staff. Instead, a contract to help with mowing and grounds maintenance was approved by the City Manager and the Cemetery was asked to move forward with a request for bids for those services. We received three bids and Mariani Landscaping submitted the lowest bid at $42,900. We are recommending this bid for the Commission’s approval to allow City Council approval on Monday and the commencement of work by Mariani as soon as next week. Sexton Alderks indicated Mariani Landscaping provides the mowing and trimming services for Graceland Cemetery in Chicago and are aware of the time and cost involved in Cemetery maintenance. Mariani will provide weekly mowing at Lake Forest Cemetery through October 30th. Cemetery staff would take over in November to take care of the fall leaves. Cemetery staff will handle spring and fall cleanup. In addition to mowing, Mariani Landscaping will do trimming but not edging. The work done by Mariani will allow the Cemetery staff to engage in the more specialized work that we previously struggled to keep up with such as such as edging, pruning, weeding, pouring foundations, and setting monuments. Commissioner Lopat inquired about the length of time Mariani Landscaping would engage in mowing the Cemetery each week and inquired about the composting of lawn clippings. Sexton Alderks did not have specifics available as to how long it would take Mariani to mow the Cemetery grounds but indicated it takes 4 days for the Cemetery’s staff of 4 men to mow the entire Cemetery. The Cemetery only collects clippings each year in May prior to Memorial Day; Mariani will now collect the clippings at that time. Motion by Commissioner Lopat to approve the contract for mowing and trimming services submitted by Mariani Landscaping. Second by Commissioner Anderson. Motion carried unanimously. X. REVIEW OF CEMETERY LANDSCAPE MASTERPLAN Sexton Alderks provided a review of the Cemetery Landscape Master Plan along with an accompanying Power Point presentation. The Commission reviewed the master plan around the year 2000. Staff was April 28, 2021 Page 6 spending roughly three weeks every July pruning bushes on gravesites belonging to family heirs who had moved out of the area and did not maintain the gravesite. The Commission concluded pruning bushes on the personal Cemetery gravesites of modern heirs was not a good use of staff time and made a rule change that as long as people maintained their bushes, they could keep them. But if the bushes died or were not maintained, staff had the ability to remove those bushes. The master plan came about as a concept just as O.C. Simonds prepared another concept plan for the Cemetery and did a little bit of planting work around 1901-1903.The master plan developed with Conservation Design Forum (CDF) was not meant to be a road map, but rather a compass giving the Commission and staff a direction of how to proceed. Many of the trees on the plan were existing trees, and CDF suggested where we might add shrubs and native plant material to create some of the long views, as well as create some of the spaces that are characteristic of what Simonds would have done in his designs. The master plan gave the Commission control over the plantings, removed the aspect of family “emotion” over unmaintained plantings, and suggested a Midwestern native planting style chosen out of respect of O. C. Simond’s vision. The Cemetery has worked with several landscape designers including Bernie Jacobs with Jacobs Ryan Associates; Jay Womack with Conservation Design Forum; Dean Sheaffer from Sheaffer Landscape Architects; Ted Wolff from Wolff Clements and Associates; Roy Diblik, a native perennial plant expert; and Scott Mehaffey, ASLA. Some of the landscape projects have included the Memorial Garden, the Ravine Edge Buffer, West Entrance Plantings, Kapoor Mausoleum, Memorial Garden Renovation/West Entrance, Lake View Planting, Flag Triangle, Ravine Edge meeting the road, Elder Path South Border, Bump put to control traffic flow, the McLennan private estate lot, the Holt ravine edge, Swift mausoleum, Bennett-Jones lot, Grainer Farwell lot, J.V. Farwell lot, Jelke mausoleum, Cudahy private estate lot, Ryerson private estate lot, McKinlock private estate lot, Wilson private estate lot, William McCormick Blair lot, Thompson mausoleum, Douglas private estate lot, John Lord Behr corner, Gatehouse gravel garden, Gatehouse beds, Gatehouse Spruce Avenue entry, Section C mausoleum lots, and Section E west border. Some of the other projects include sustainability beds that involve removal of turf from beneath trees or shrubs and replacing the turf with sustainable sedges and native plants as a green mulch to protect the woody ornamentals from mowing and trimming damage. Some of these sustainability bed projects include the Section D teardrop, Section A pass through, kidney bed at west end of section A, two beds of Amur maples in Section A, Serviceberry group in Section A, Section F under white pines, Section F Amdur maples, Section B trees with exposed roots, Section C east point Spruce tree beds, Section C oak/exposed roots, Section E ravine edge, Section E behind Jelke, Section E teardrop and pergola, and Section E path and urn. Even with the removal of overgrown plantings, Cemetery staff tries to complete 6 to 8 projects a year and addresses those lots with bushes or shrubs hat have not been maintained by heirs. Commissioner Lopat inquired if the master plan is viewed as a landscape plan or something broader, and inquired about updating the master plan. Sexton Alderks indicated this was primarily a landscape master plan and the Cemetery staff has been progressing well with its attention to landscape projects. He does not see a need to update the Conservation Design Forum master plan, noting the master plan was intended as a compass rather than a road map. Commissioner Lopat would like to revisit the master plan and its goals. Sexton Alderks indicated a re-evaluation of the master plan could be addressed by a vote April 28, 2021 Page 7 of the Cemetery Commission. Chairman O’Brien noted that the Memorial Garden project is the first priority of the Commission at this time while the Cemetery has a duty to maintain the beauty and historical nature of the Cemetery. The Cemetery does not want a situation where new plantings look beautiful but that look changes over time. The current needs of the Cemetery are slated to be addressed in a piecemeal fashion without incurring extra cost. To this end, Chairman O’Brien is willing to continue as an ex-officio member of the subcommittee. Commissioner Anderson requested a copy of the landscape projects; Sexton Alderks will provide a copy of this information to Commissioners. XI. RECOGNITION OF DENNIS O’BRIEN’S SERVICE TO THE LAKE FOREST CEMETERY COMMISSION Chairman O’Brien stated he has enjoyed the time he has spent on the Cemetery Commission, has enjoyed working with the Commissioners and members of the City Staff, and is thankful to have worked with such wonderful individuals. He will miss the Commission but will continue to remain in the loop through his participation in the subcommittee. Commissioner Anderson noted the Commission owes Chairman O’Brien a debt of gratitude for his management that has allowed members to do their job and be heard. Superintendent Myers read a resolution from City Manager Jason Wicha. The resolution recognizes and commends Chairman O’Brien’s exemplary service as Chairman on the Cemetery Commission for the past six years, a term that concludes on April 30, 2021. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Lake Forest Cemetery Commission will deliver a copy of the signed resolution to Dennis O'Brien in appreciation of his six years of service to the Cemetery Commission. Commissioner Anderson made the motion for the Cemetery Commission to approve the recognition for Chairman Dennis O’Brien; seconded by Commissioner Thornburgh. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. XII. RECOGNITION OF DAVID HOOKE’S SERVICE TO THE LAKE FOREST CEMETERY COMMISSION Chairman O’Brien read a resolution recognizing Commissioner David Hooke and his work on behalf of the Commission, which concludes on April 30, 2021, and highlighted the particulars of his service to the Commission. A copy of the resolution will be delivered to Commissioner Hooke in appreciation of his six years of service to the Cemetery Commission. XIII. RECOGNITION OF JOHN DICK’S SERVICE TO THE LAKE FOREST CEMETERY COMMISSION Chairman O’Brien indicated the Cemetery Commission was unable to provide recognition to former Commissioner John Dick, who completed his service a year ago on April 20, 2020, since a meeting was not held at that time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Chairman O’Brien read a proclamation that recognized Commissioner Dick’s service to the Commission and highlighted the particulars of his April 28, 2021 Page 8 service to the Commission. A copy of the resolution will be delivered to former Commissioner Dick in appreciation of his six years of service to the Cemetery Commission. Chairman O’Brien made the motion for the Cemetery Commission to approve the recognitions for David Hooke and John Dick; seconded by Commissioner Anderson. Motion passed by unanimous voice vote. XIV. OTHER MATTERS Commissioner Lopat inquired about the status of her Cemetery photo book. Sexton Alderks stated the book is in his office. Commissioner Lopat will retrieve the book and circulate it among Commission members. Chairman O’Brien was hopeful the book project could be addressed by the Commission in the near future. Sexton Alderks expressed his hope that the Cemetery Commission will be able to meet in person by July 2021. The Commission can meet out at the site of the ravine for a tour of the Sawyer project and then come inside the Gatehouse for the Commission meeting. XV. CITIZENS’ OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS CEMETERY COMMISSION There were no members of the public who had had questions for the Cemetery Commission. XVI. NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Cemetery Commission is scheduled for 5:00PM on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. XVII. ADJOURNMENT Chairman O’Brien thanked members of the Cemetery Commission for their commitment to the Commission and looks forward to continuing as a member of the subcommittee to allow the Phase II project moving along toward completion. The meeting was adjourned by Chairman O’Brien at 7:40PM.