Cemetery

These rules and regulations are for the purpose of maintaining St. Caspar Cemetery as a beautiful sanctuary. The aim is to protect the rights and privileges of lot owners, to improve the appearance of the cemetery, to keep prices at a reasonable level, and to have the cemetery reflect the pride and loyalty of all parishioners and lot owners.

These cemetery rules are based upon Diocesan rules and principles of sound management. Your cooperation is asked in abiding by them, so the grounds will be preserved as a respectable and attractive resting place for members of your family and friends.

The Cemetery Board has the right to enforce all rules and regulations, to care for and maintain St. Caspar Cemetery in accordance with these rules and regulations, to open and close all graves, to put in all foundations for monuments or markers, to maintain all equipment, buildings, and to landscape and beautify the grounds.

1. Persons desiring to purchase burial sites are requested to contact a member of the St. Caspar Cemetery Board. Only perpetual use of a grave is granted; ownership is retained by the parish.

2. Lot prices as of August 1, 2008 are $500 per grave. (Cost of a grave for an infant shall be $250 – if the grave is a short lot grave.)

3. It is expected that payment in full be made at the time of grave purchase and before burial (grave opening and closing). Under certain circumstances, other arrangements may be made with the consent of the St. Caspar Cemetery Board. (Partial payments shall be made in the St. Caspar Church Office.)

4. The cost for the opening and closing of a grave is set by the person digging the grave. The cost of installing a monument foundation is also set by the person doing the work.

5. Any person desiring to sell or dispose of a grave(s), must sell it back to the St. Caspar Cemetery for the actual cost of said grave at the time of purchase; or the owner of the grave(s) may transfer it to the immediate family with the consent of the St. Caspar Cemetery Board. All transfers must be recorded in the cemetery records. (Immediate family shall be defined as spouse, parents, brothers, sisters, children – and their spouses).

6. Upon the death of the owner or part owner, the Deed to said grave(s) will descend to his/her heirs in equal, undivided shares; and husband or wife of said owner will retain his/her right to be interred in said grave(s) under any and all circumstances. In the event both parents are buried in the Family Plot and vacant graves remain, the written consent of all surviving children must be obtained for further burial of family members in the designated Family Plot, or for any disposition of the vacant graves (sale or donation back to St. Caspar Cemetery or transfer to another family member).

7. Cremation burials may be on the same individual gravesite as other cremation burials. Cremation burials per gravesite are limited to four. Traditional burials and cremation burials may share the same gravesite – with no more than one traditional adult burial and one cremation burial on the gravesite, except for the cremation burials of both parents on the same full-size grave as their infant child. The cost for the grave site remains the same for up to two burials per grave site. For the third burial, there will be a surcharge of $150.00 for the right of burial, and there will be an additional surcharge of $150.00 ($300.00 total) for the right of a fourth burial. No surcharge will be assessed for parents and infant child sharing the same full-size grave. Sufficient space must be available on the headstone for the names of the third and fourth burials on the gravesite. Only immediate family members of the deceased are allowed on an existing grave, (i.e. spouse, parents, brother, sister, child, grandchild – and their spouses).

8. Traditional interments must be made in a permanent type burial vault. Cremation burials must be placed in a sealed, impervious (permanent, non-degradable) urn vault/cremation vault.

9. It is requested that at the time of grave purchase, the lot owner inform the Cemetery Board of the type of burial being considered, especially if a traditional burial and a cremation burial is being considered for the same grave.

10. All persons buried must be identified on a memorial stone. If there are multiple burials on a single gravesite, only one upright headstone will be allowed on the single gravesite. A flat to the ground marker (like a military plaque) for cremation burials may be approved by the Cemetery Board.

11. For cremation burials, there must be a minimum of 12” of cover between the top of the sealed, impervious (permanent, non-degradable) urn vault/cremation vault and the existing grade of the gravesite. All cremation burials will be made by the regular contractor who digs graves and foundations.

12. The actual location of cremation burials on the gravesite will be recorded on the St. Caspar Cemetery map. Cremation burials will usually be made in a line from the head of the grave to the foot, with the first cremation burial to be made closest to the monument.

13. Foundations must be a minimum of 36” deep, with a minimum of 4” border around the monument. Foundations must be full depth (36”), straight down from the outside edge of the border. The width of a foundation is limited to 24”. The width of any part of a monument cannot exceed the width of the base.

14. Contractors and workers employed in the digging of graves and the erection of monuments will be subject to the control of the St. Caspar Cemetery Board. Other contractors must be approved by the St. Caspar Cemetery Board. If other contractors are employed, a member of the Cemetery Board will inspect the location, dimensions, and depth of monument foundations.

15. The Cemetery Board has the right to remove any items found on the monument or grave deemed unacceptable: such as beer cans, ash trays, cigarette packs, etc.

16. These rules, regulations, and restrictions may be altered or amended at the discretion of the St. Caspar Cemetery Board. Any modifications shall have the same binding effect upon present and future lot-holders.

17. The Cemetery Board reserves the right to make other decisions regarding the cemetery that are not listed in these Rules and regulations.

DECORATIONS

1. Planting of shrubs and trees are not allowed (except in accordance with approved parish plans). The planting of myrtle, ivy, or any spreading plants is not allowed on plots or gravesites.

2. All live flowers at gravesites should be in flower boxes. Bouquets in vases, plants in pots, or a large flower vase are allowed, provided they are movable and are placed in line with the monuments. Glass and ceramic vases should be avoided. Hanging baskets are only allowed when the rod is fixed into the foundation or as close to the foundation as possible. Watering, maintaining, and weeding live plants is the responsibility of the family. Plantings not maintained are subject to removal by cemetery maintenance. Mulch is allowed in flower boxes, pots, and vases; but decorative stone is not allowed to prevent stones from being hit by the mower and causing safety issues.

3. All artificial flowers must be securely attached to the monument or securely grounded immediately next to the monument. Names should be written on flowers and decorations so they can easily be replaced if they are blown off the monument. Solar lights should be placed as close to the monument foundation as possible.

4. Families are discouraged from placing small items on monuments, such as coins, marbles, pebbles, etc. Coins will be picked up periodically and donated to the cemetery. St. Caspar Cemetery is not responsible for these items as they impede blowing and removing grass from monuments.

5. No plot or grave can be surrounded by a fence, railing, coping, hedge, posts, embankment, ditch, depression or enclosure. Current decorations on a grave (Rules #2 and #5) are grandfathered and can remain on the grave until the decorations need to be replaced or are not maintained.

6. All winter decorations must be removed on or before March 31 and all summer decorations by November 15.  Otherwise, they will be removed by cemetery maintenance. Faded, broken, and unmaintained decorations will also be removed.

7. Grave blankets and pillows are allowed on graves only from November 15 to March 31. Otherwise, they will be removed by cemetery maintenance.

8. All urns must have a base under them and be in line with the monument. The cost of the base is the responsibility of the person requesting the base.

9. Any other installation first must be approved by the Cemetery Board.

10. No snowmobiles, non-licensed motorcycles, or ATVs are allowed in the cemetery grounds.