cotnermonument

Moving on to Other Types of Cemeteries

Cotner Monument LLC — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:09:38 +0000

I have spent a couple of blogs talking about for profit cemeteries and the unique feature of a perpetual care fund. Their is nothing inherently wrong with a for profit cemetery. Some of the nicer cemeteries in this area are for profit cemeteries. A great example is Fairview Memorial Gardens in Fayetteville Arkansas. Well maintained by a professional staff.

If you have any questions about cemetery management in any type of cemetery, drop me an email or a note on Facebook.

But now I want to move on to other types of management for a cemetery.

Many cemeteries are managed by not for profit organizations or governmental entities. I am excluding the veterans cemeteries from this list as they are a “closed admission” cemetery. Only certain qualified persons are allowed to be buried in veterans cemeteries. Most of these cemeteries are managed by a church or local governmental entity like a city or county. In most states, these type of cemeteries are not regulated by the state as closely as the for profit cemeteries. These cemeteries do not typically have a formal perpetual care fund, but often have funds set aside within the managing organization for the upkeep and care of the cemetery. Most often these funds were contributed by interested parties.

My next blog will visit some of the issues with not for profit or governmental managed cemeteries.

In the meantime, God Bless and have a great day

Sammy J.

Checking Out a Prospective Cemetery – ALL THE COSTS

Cotner Monument LLC — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:11:09 +0000

If you are considering a for profit cemetery, be sure and check out their perpetual care fund to be sure it is adequate to care for the cemetery in the future. Once you are comfortable with the future care issue, you need to consider the costs besides just the cost of the plot. Many cemeteries, be they operated by a for profit organization, a governmental entity, or a nonprofit cemetery, charge additional costs besides just the cost of the plot. Most cemeteries have an interment fee and an opening and closing fees. Opening and closing fees are for digging and filling in the grave site. Interment fees are for location and inspection of the burial activities. Additionally some cemeteries charge for funeral services including use of their chapel.

As an informed consumer, be sure to get a list of all the fees associated with a burial before you make a selection of a cemetery.

Sammy J.

For Profit Cemeteries—Choosing the right one

Cotner Monument LLC — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:59:10 +0000

In my last BLOG, I discussed what to do if a loved one if buried in a perpetual care cemetery to ensure that the cemetery will maintain the grounds into the future. But what about if you are considering using plots in a perpetual care cemetery or are contemplating buying plots in a perpetual care cemetery.

First, look at the numbers. Ask about the condition of the perpetual care fund. Ask how large the fund is, how much of the expenses for care of the cemetery is funded by the perceptual care fund, and what are the future expectations for adequate funding for the care of the cemetery.

I cannot give you a good guidelines for what is a secure cemetery, but if only a small percentage of current care expenses are covered by income from the perpetual care fund, you may want to look elsewhere.

The most important considerations is how secure do you feel that your plot sites will be cared for in the future

Sammy J.

Perpetual Care — The Myth Dispelled

Cotner Monument LLC — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:50:47 +0000

Perpetual funds were intended to provide for the future care of cemetery grounds. Sadly, inadequate contributions and inflation have made these funds to fall short of the money needed to care for cemeteries. Well what can you do for a cemetery in which you have loved ones already buried. Sadly, not much, but some things. First, understand what the cemetery agreed to do when the grave plots were purchased. This is a legal agreement and you can take legal action to inforce the contract’s provisions.

Second, ask the cemetery management for a current accounting of the perpetual care funds balances, withdrawals, and the money’s use. Most states require that you be provided this information. Be sure that the funds are being used to care for the cemetery grounds in accordance with your plot purchase agreement.

Third, contact the state cemetery board. These boards regulate the operation of for profit cemeteries. Sometimes these boards are combined with the funeral home boards. Inquire is the perpetual care fund is adequate based on their projections of operating costs. If not, petition for the cemetery’s future contributions to be increased.

Finally, watch the care of the cemetery. If it falls short of your expectations, complain often and loudly, to both the cemetery management and to the governing board.

Next, I will address, who owes that loved one’s cemetery plot. It may not be you!

Sammy J.

Cemetery Dogs — An Update

Cotner Monument LLC — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:32:45 +0000

Our cemetery dogs are doing very well. If you did not see my earlier blog on my cemetery dogs, we picked up two dogs in cemeteries before Thanksgiving. Both were abandoned.

My youngest son picked up the first one. She is a mid sized mixed breed named Pepper. She has a great personality and is so sweet. That is except for how she pesters my four dachshunds. She loved to jump into the middle of them with this joyful spinning. Just hacks them off. They attach with a vicious charge which just makes her so happy to know she riled them up.

My second cemetery dog was a dachshunds which I picked up at a cemetery outside Jerusalem AR. She is a mini bread and was just so sweet. But sadly five dachshunds was just too much. We found her a new home with a friend. This makes their fourth dachshund. Seem like once you have one, you just cannot stand not to have a heard of dachshunds….

Love your pets…..They love you back without conditions.

Sammy J.

Cemetery Comments – Perpetual Care

Cotner Monument LLC — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:36:44 +0000

In many states, cemeteries are required to set aside a portion of the proceeds for a grave plot. These funds are intended to provide for future care for the cemetery. A perpetual care fund is the common name for these set aside monies. In theory, the perpetual care fund will insure that the cemetery is maintained forever. In the real world, the perpetual care fund rarely provides sufficient income to care for the cemetery. The problem is that the perpetual care funds created in the past failed to consider the effect of inflation on the cost of caring for the cemetery. The money which can be used for care comes from the income off the funds. Rarely can the actual contributions be used for annual care.

The problem arises from the rate of inflation being much greater than the income (money available to care for the cemetery) from the perpetual care fund. Income from the funds are limited as most state laws require that only the most conservative investments are allow for perpetual care funds. In the case of one cemetery, the income from the fund has averages 0.6% per year over the past ten years.

Now that the myth that a perpetual care cemetery will be able to care for the cemetery grounds has been rebuffed, what can you do for both past burials and future burials. Well that comes in my next blog.

Sammy J.

Cemeteries–The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Cotner Monument LLC — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:32:05 +0000

In my last blog, I wrote about the three types of cemeteries, FOR PROFIT, NOT FOR PROFIT with a cemetery board, and NOT FOR PROFIT without a cemetery board. Let me talk about the for profit cemeteries first. Let me explain that I have nothing against a FOR PROFIT cemetery (by the way they make very little if any profit). Most of my family (father, mother and brothers) are buried in a FOR PROFIT cemetery. Also, each state regulates their FOR PROFIT cemeteries, so what I say may apply to Arkansas but not to your state.

In Arkansas, FOR PROFIT cemeteries are regulated by a cemetery board. Their primary job is to regulate the “perpetual care fund”. A perpetual care fund are monies which have been set aside from earlier grave plot sales to care for the cemetery. Often the cemetery boards have some authority over the cemetery upkeep. Most of this responsibility is to be sure that the proceeds from the perpetual care funds are properly used.

If this is confusing,,,,,join the crowd…most people are confused by all this legal ease.

What all this means is that somewhere in the money you pay for a grave site is a portion which goes to a trust fund which is to be used for the future care of the cemetery. This is to insure that the cemetery is cared for into the future. Sadly this is not the case.

My next couple of blogs will talk more about the ugly side of perpetual care funds and how they have failed us.

Sammy J.

Cemeteries—Good, Bad, and the Ugly Part 1

Cotner Monument LLC — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 16:23:27 +0000

I wanted to spend some of my space in the cyber world talking about cemeteries. My company is in about fifty cemeteries a week which relates to over 1,500 a year. So I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly……

First, let me classify cemeteries as “for profit”, “not for profit with a cemetery board” and “not for profit without a cemetery board”. A for profit cemetery is just that. They want to make money at managing the cemetery. For profit cemeteries charge for almost everything you do. but this is their business.

The not for profit with a cemetery board have some organizational structure which manages (cuts the grass, tells you where your plots are, helps with monument placement). They make up about 30% of the cemeteries we deal with. The managers of this type of cemetery often have family member who are interned in the cemetery and they perform their work as a gift to the community.

Unmanaged cemeteries have no one oversee the operation of the cemetery. The vast majority of all cemeteries we visit are of this type. Often a family member takes time to mow and care for the cemetery, but little else.

I am do not care for for profit cemeteries. First, they operate to nickel and dime the families. They create rules and regulations which are to their advantage. Second, they set up their pricing structure to “wrap” up products in a manner to restrict trade. What I am talking about is that they will sell the grave site, opening and closing the grave site and the monument in a manner where you cannot buy the services separately at that price. And if you go else where for a monument, they stick you with a “location fee”. A location fee is for they to go out and point where the monument goes and to inspect our work. Give me a break….I can find a grave and we set fifty monuments a week without guy saying it is OK. And they charge several hundred for that service. Sorry for all the gripping, but I have an issue with the charges with are often hidden from the families.

Next, a few comments about cemetery management and for profit trust funds……..

Sammy J……

Visit me at www.cotnermonument.com

Epitaph – Sources

Cotner Monument LLC — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:40:43 +0000

An epitaph is an expression typically on a headstone or memorial which expressed some thought or idea about the person who had died.

Here are some sites which are sources for ideas on epitaphs you can use

http://www.alsirat.com/epitaphs/ - A listing of historical interesting epitaphs. This may not have anything of interest. Most of the epitaphs are historical in nature.
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/quotes/epitaphs.html — A listing of humerus epitaphs.
http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/epitaphs.html — A listing of some English historical epitaphs.
http://www.christianmemorials.com/memorials/free-memorial-verses.asp — A listing of Christian epitaphs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn3EzaJhe4w — A nice you tube video on how to write a Christian eulogy and ideas on an epitaph.
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Epitaphs

I will add several more resources over the next few days….

Sammy J.

Cemetery Dogs

Cotner Monument LLC — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:36:32 +0000

Being in the monument business, I spend a lot of time in cemeteries. Some people get the creeps being in a cemetery. I really enjoy the quite, the peacefulness, and seeing monument we have done in the past. I have recently realized one new aspect of cemeteries……DOGS!

Cemeteries are havens for wildlife especially urban cemeteries. One Fort Smith cemetery has a huge population of squirrels. A cemetery is Huntington is overrun with gofers. Birds thrive in the trees in cemeteries. In the spring, dear come to the cemeteries to eat the young grass shoots.

Recently I have discovered that dogs also occupy cemeteries. Seems that cemeteries are becoming a popular place to dump unwanted dogs.

In September, my son, Nick, was doing some work for me in a cemetery south of Fort Smith. A dog had come up to him and was following him around. She was a sweet thing and he was concerned for her given that she was malnourished. She had a vet tag, but no owners information. He brought her home, we contacted the vet and obtained the owners name and attempted to contact him. We discovered that he had lost his job, moved out, turned off his cell phone and was no where to be found. We named her Pepper and she became our seventh dog (we live in the country and four of these dogs are very small).

A few weeks ago while I was working in a small, very isolated cemetery in north central Arkansas, a small dachshund jumped in my lap. She was so excited to find someone. She had no collar or tag. After finishing my work, I headed back to my car. The dog followed me and ran out into the highway and was almost hit. I saved her and began knocking on doors looking for her owner. After meritorious houses, no luck locating her owners. All I discovered was that she had appeared several days ago in the area. I brought her home and we located her a new home. Her name is Issey.

As you can tell, I love dogs and hate to see them abused.

I will get back to Epitaphs in my next blog, but I just wanted to tell my story about CEMETERY DOGS.

Sammy J.