By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
For the fourth time in its long-running history, an addition is being made onto the Rochester Cemetery, 31440 Washington Ave.
The Village Board on May 11 voted to move forward with plans to add onto the cemetery. The latest addition onto the property encompasses 1.53 acres of land and is 202 feet wide and 351 feet in depth.
Formal approval came nearly a year and a half after the Rochester Village Board voted in favor of rezoning the land – from a conservation and environmental designation to an institutional park district.
“The subject property has been cleared and has been regarded and permanently seeded,” Zoning Administrator Jonathan Schattner said. “An asphalt driveway has been installed in the proposed addition.”
Organizers with the Rochester Cemetery Company, the entity in charge of the property, have previously stated 63 additional burial plots will be configured onto the property. Each plot is to be 20-by-20 feet.
When the expansion is completed, the Rochester Cemetery will have a total of 585 burial sites on the grounds.
While the Village Board has given its blessing to the plans, there are a few caveats that still need to be ironed out before the additional plots can be added. One such provision entails the cemetery company obtaining permission from all property owners within 250 feet of the expanded cemetery site.
In other business May 11, the Rochester Village Board:
- Approved a request by organizers of Rochester’s annual autumnal event, A Day in the Country to use the Rochester Volunteer Fire Company’s facilities for the annual car show.
Village Clerk-Treasurer Betty Novy said the car show has been held at fire company the past two years without incident.
- Made a series of changes in who sits on specific appointed committees, commissions and boards. Trustee Nick Ahlers will pull up a chair at the village’s Public Works Committee, while Village President Ed Chart will serve on the Plan Commission.
- Gave Jack Biermann Jr., assistant fire chief of the Rochester Volunteer Fire Company, the authority to use reserve funds to purchase new flooring at the fire station.
“The carpet in the building is 15-plus years old now and has fallen into disrepair,” Biermann wrote in a memo. “In many spots, tape has been placed on the carpet to try and help the seams from coming apart.”
Biermann further added, “The carpet used to be cleaned once a year by a professional, but we feel it’s not even worth spending the money on it at this point.”
The board’s approval was contingent upon Biermann soliciting bids from two to three companies.
- Voted to transfer $29,000 in excess money within the municipal budget from a fund designated for snowplowing expenses to a fund earmarked for roadwork.
The snowplowing fund is being decreased from $97,500 to $68,500, while the roadwork fund is being increased from $54,433 to $83,433.
In a complete reversal from a year ago, Rochester officials budgeted more than anticipated in addressing snow clean up this past winter.
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