Colfax approves preliminary CSM for Evergreen Cemetery addition
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The Colfax Village Board has approved a preliminary certified survey map for an addition to Evergreen Cemetery that will add 2,450 burial lots and 480 cremation lots.
The village board approved the preliminary CSM at the January 13 meeting.
[emember _protected] In addition to the new burial lots and cremation lots, Evergreen Cemetery will have a “spreading garden” for ashes, said Ron Jasperson, a surveyor with Cedar Corporation who has been working on the CSM for the cemetery addition.
All of a person’s ashes cannot be spread, as per state law, but a portion of the ashes can be spread, he noted.
The CSM shows the spreading garden to be about 160 feet long and 36 feet wide on the north side of the cemetery.
The addition to the cemetery is on land that was previously used as a school forest.
Peoples State Bank deeded 28 acres to the Colfax school district in 1943 to be used for a school forest.
According to the warranty deed, the land was to be used by the school district for “reforestation purposes” and when the school district was no longer using the land for trees, the land could only be used for the cemetery.
The trees were removed from that area nearly ten years ago.
Even though village officials had initially assumed that the village owned the new cemetery addition, the land still officially belonged to the Colfax school district.
Last year, the Colfax Board of Education approved deeding the property to the village.
The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved the preliminary certified survey map for Evergreen Cemetery at the January 13 meeting.
Although it would be logical to assume that the cemetery is located within the village limits, it is not.
Evergreen Cemetery lies entirely in the Town of Colfax, and a public hearing on annexing the cemetery will be held by the Colfax Village Board on February 10.
The Colfax Plan Commission is expected to review the proposed addition to Evergreen Cemetery at the next meeting on February 4.
The Colfax Village Board approved a contract with Cedar Corporation in the amount of $7,950 for surveying the cemetery in July of 2012.
The Village of Colfax also had previously spent $7,000 on a survey for part of the cemetery using a different surveyor.
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Village Board:
• Approved a training request from Jackie Ponto, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, to attend a workshop for local planning and zoning officials in Rice Lake on February 21. The registration fee is $25.
• Approved a mobile home park license for 2014 for Don and Marcia Henderson for the City View Villa Court with 54 units.
• Approved bartender operator licenses for Chantel Moss and Bobbie Jo Smith. The licenses expire June 30, 2014.
• Approved a temporary “Class B” retailer’s license for the Colfax Woman’s Club for the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center’s donor appreciation event on January 25. The Colfax Village Board waived the 15-day waiting period.
• Approved a certified survey map for the Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center property on Park Drive establishing easements for the water main and fire hydrants. The CSM needed to be revised for dedicating the road, said Ron Jasperson, a surveyor with Cedar Corporation. Outlot No. 1 contains the detention pond, which will still be owned by CHRC until the deed is transferred to the village. When the village signs off on the CSM, the roadway and the easements will be dedicated, Jasperson said.
• Approved a proposal from MDL Construction Services out of Elk Mound (Mark Levra) for constructing two roof overhangs for the Colfax Rescue Squad building at a cost of $4,950. One overhang will provide protection for the north door from snow and ice sliding or melting off the roof and the other overhang will provide protection for the generator.
• Approved an agreement with Short Elliot Hendrickson Inc. for environmental monitoring at the Colfax landfill in the amount of $6,000 for 2014 and for 2015. SEH will invoice the village for $1,200 in April and $1,800 in October of each year.
• Approved postponing until the January 27 meeting an ordinance amendment for establishing through highway status for various streets and for stop signs at various intersections. Village Trustee Richard Johnson pointed out that some of the descriptions in the proposed ordinance amendment were not correct.
• Approved a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with Colfax Health and Rehabilitation Center requiring a $15,000 annual installment that will be paid to the village. The Colfax Village Board had previously approved the agreement but signatures had not been obtained from CHRC representatives.
• Established ballot placement for the April 1 election by asking the Colfax Messenger reporter to draw names out of a basket. Ballot placement will be 1. Mark Halpin; 2. Jeremy Klukas; 3. George Richards; 4. Carey K. Davis; 5. Richard Johnson. [/emember _protected]