Cemetery maintenance scrutinized

After Triple T Services was hired by Moorcroft's council to maintain the town cemetery lawn, the fledging company presented their first bill at last week's meeting of said council. However, concern was expressed by Councilman Bob Stewart regarding the quality of the work this first month.

"When we got the bill submitted for $1200, I went out there," said the councilman. "A lot of it needs to be weed-eaten and to me the workmanship was not completed to pay them the $1200. Councilman Petersen was out there with me, we went through it and looked at it and the both of us agreed that there still was a lot of work to be done."

Stewart itemized the issues he and Petersen found in their walkthrough of the grounds.

"We have a question on who is supposed to take care of the grass and weeds inside that chain-link fence next to the building because that wasn't taken care of," he said.

"Along the highway, there were weeds that needed to be weed-eaten and all the way on the south side of the cemetery needed to be weed-eaten and it wasn't touched and to the east there areas that needed to be weed-eaten. To me, it isn't completed."

Councilman Dale Petersen, who had been put in charge of this endeavor, was asked his opinion of the situation.

"I did go back out there and I talked to Cory [Allison, Public Works Director] and we went through all of that. I had questions about inside the fence and from the gate out; that's why we pulled contracts here. Unfortunately, the contract does not specify exactly what has to be done. That has to be cleared up," he said.

"What I was told is that from the gate to the highway was the city guys' responsibility for the last multiple years. I don't know if it has or hasn't been; to me that should be part of the contract...you can interpret that it is, but it doesn't necessarily say because it's poorly written."

After further discussion with the Triple T representative, Petersen says the area looks better than it had at the first walkthrough.

"They took care of all the trees and most of the bush areas. I'm satisfied now with what has been done," he said.

"Obviously, I'm going to try to be out there a little bit more next time and talk to the people doing it. I'll visit with Cory more, too, just to make sure we're clear on that."

The gravel roadways within the property are overgrown and have not been maintained as yet this year and the councilman suggests setting that particular assignment on the table of Public Works.

"They look terrible; in my opinion, that should not be the contractor's responsibility to run their own machines over rocks and tear those machines up like that," he said.

"We have to get that sprayed, that part of it is on us, but as far as mowing and weed-eating – the expectations are around all the trees and the bushes...When people put up fences and rocks [around graves]...it just makes it so difficult, I don't expect whoever has the contract to deal with that, whoever puts that in has that responsibility."

Councilwoman Heidi Humpal reminded her colleagues that the time allocated for completion of the job each time is two days to prevent the area from appearing shabby: "I think that's where it's getting misconstrued, too...I think we need to put that guideline in so they know that is the expectation."

The council must also decide on whether the area within the fence next to the town maintenance shed, the space between the front gate and the highway is to be the responsibility of Triple T Services or Moorcroft's Public Works department as they move forward.

The possibility of termination of the contract and rebidding the work if no agreement can be reached regarding revision of the existing document was discussed as well before allowing the first month's $1200 invoice to be paid to Triple T Services.