Fountain Green to overhaul city cemetery with help from $340,000 in grant funding

FOUNTAIN GREEN—The Fountain Green Cemetery will receive a facelift this year with the demolition of an old cemetery bridge and construction of a new one.

The cemetery was the main topic at the city council meeting on Thursday, March 19.

Late last year, then-mayor Mark Coombs secured a $340,000 grant from the Utah Division of Emergency Management to replace the crumbling bridge that currently is the only entrance to the cemetery. The grant requires no matching funds.

At the time, the council hoped to have the project completed before Memorial Day this year. Instead, the project will begin just after Memorial Day.

In heavy rains, floodwaters rush under the bridge. Because of the crumbling cement, it is no longer structurally sound. Further, it’s too narrow to allow more than one vehicle through at a time. The new bridge will be wide enough for two-way traffic.

Along with the new bridge, the cemetery will get a new, larger outbuilding this year, which will be located on the same site as the current building. Funds for that building were finalized during the February council meeting. It will be a 24-by-35-foot shed, adequate for the equipment and supplies needed to maintain the cemetery.

The city cemetery is almost full, and Fountain Green is faced with purchasing more land to expand it or finding more available space onsite. At the February council meeting, Public Works Director Curt Nielsen, who serves as sexton, said the city could expand available gravesites from the few dozen to hundreds. He provided a map to illustrate where those plots could be located.

Mayor Willard Wood proposed a committee that includes Nielsen, Councilman Jacob Littlefield and City Treasurer Julie Beagley. The committee will map out the cemetery, including access paths required for digging equipment, and find how many more plots can fit on the existing land.

The committee will also review the Perpetual Care Fund and the cost for plots (currently $300 for residents and $900 for non-residents) and make recommendations.

In the meantime, Wood proposed a 60-day moratorium on the sale of cemetery plots. Sale of new plots will not be allowed unless a burial is imminent; in other words, if someone has passed away and needs to be buried.

In that event, up to two spaces can be sold in order to bury the deceased, which leaves one space available for another family member such as a spouse in the future.

The council passed the resolution unanimously. The committee is expected to report to the council in the April meeting.
In other news, the council discussed the possibility of moving the city police contract from the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office to the North Valley Public Safety Department (PSD).

Wood reported he had been in a meeting with other mayors in which the North Valley PSD, a law enforcement agency that currently covers Fairview and Mt. Pleasant, proposed giving Fountain Green double the hours of coverage for the same price the city currently pays to the Sanpete County Sheriff, which is about $130,000 per year.

In addition to patrols, North Valley police would provide support for animal control and other city enforcement needs.
Councilman Rich Walker asked, “What’s the downside?” Wood responded, “Just making the change.”

The caveat is that North Valley would not cover Fountain Green if Moroni didn’t also contract with the regional police agency.

A few minutes into the discussion, Fire Chief Todd Robinson received a text message informing him the Moroni council had voted to switch from the Sheriff’s Office to the North Valley PSD.

The council will discuss and vote on this move in an upcoming council meeting.

In another discussion, Councilman Vaughn Jacobsen reported the city had received a proposal from APC Towers to buy out the 10-year contract for the radio tower west of town.

The current contract provides the city with $1,400 rent per month, plus $250 rent for each tenant that has an antenna or dish on the tower.
Jacobsen presented a chart that showed the contract is predicted to provide around $268,000 over 10 years, although it could be more or less, depending on the number of tenants.

Jacobsen asked the council to allow himself and the mayor to contact the company to discuss a deal, and possibly to negotiate a better one. The council unanimously approved the request.