Genoa Cemetery Association

Annual Meeting Minutes

April 27, 2025, at 3:00 pm

Genoa Town Hall, 2287 Main Street

Genoa, NV 89411

I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 3:06 p.m.

II. ROLL CALL AND INTRODUCTION OF ATTENDEES: The following volunteer board members were present at the meeting: Erin Pasley, Eric Brink, Elaine Shively, Bob Whear, Tom Peters, Georgia Kiewicz.Loren Simpson was unable to attend as he was out of the country on military duty.Tom Peters thanked Loren for his service.

III. DECLARATION OF QUORUM: A quorum was present.

IV. PUBLIC COMMENT:

John Adams – stated he drove through the cemetery and noticed names of streets already established. He stated he would like the GCA consider the addition or change of current street names to include others that have contributed to the cemetery in various ways.

Names include:

-Hellwinkle (GCA board participant for many years).

-Ascuaga (Assisted with the rock wall installation).

-VanSickle (Donated $45,000 for the well installation at the cemetery).

-Adams (Longstanding volunteer and GCA Board participation).

-Bingham (Donated the lower half of the current property).

-Juchtzer (Many years of volunteer contributions by planting trees and making crosses for unknown graves).

-Parra (Longstanding volunteer and GCA Board participation. Assisted with a lot of cement work).

Alex Alexander – requested reassurance that as time goes on, not having heirs to continue to pay maintenance dues, that he won’t be disturbed and his plot will not be resold to someone else. Requested if there is a percentage of money that can be paid upfront to make up for the difference. He referred to T-bond with interest rate of 4.75% that could be invested in with this upfront money which would be more lucrative than just the $35 fee he pays annually now. Alex also offered to volunteer to assist with setting up the program.

Eric Brink made a comment that there was a Perpetual program in place at one point. He does not have a lot of treasury history knowledge but was told by a previous Treasure (Betsy Falcke) that it was an accounting nightmare and was subsequently dropped after a majority vote of the previous participants. Elaine Shively commented there are currently about 80 plots that are deceased no heirs and those plots are maintained without risk of eviction, so this should not be a concern. Eric also noted that the Genoa Cemetery is a historic cemetery and there are many plots we do not have current family information and the GCA is obligated to take care of these, as well.

V. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA: Tom made a motion to accept the agenda. Eric seconded. Passed unanimously.

VI. APPROVAL OF ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 14, 2024

VII. TREASURER REPORT

-Current Wells Fargo checking balance is $24,000. Wells Fargo Brokerage account balance is $111,000. Brokerage account is in a treasury-based money market at about 4.3%.

-2024 Income totaled $61,580.00. Expenses totaled $35,264.79.

o GCA utilizes QuickBooks and an external accountant Kelly Bullis and Company.

o 2024 showed good cash flow. Income mainly from annual assessment fees and new plots sold.

o Depreciation refers to office, equipment shed, tractor, etc....

o Most costs include landscaping, weed control, road work, clean-up of pine needles

o Plot purchases under expenses include plots purchased by people who sold them back to the cemetery, for the original purchase price.

o GCA has three types of insurance: Director’s liability, Regular liability, and Workers' Compensation. Worker compensation is strongly recommended for people who voluntarily work on behalf of the cemetery, despite GCA not having actual employees.

o New expense of cemetery software, Cemify, to assist with verification and organization of burial and death records. Website upgrade expenses are also accounted for.

A question was asked by the audience about current plot and maintenance rates.

Eric clarified:

2' x 4' Cremation Plot is $3,000.00, 5’ x 10’ (Single Burial) is $6,500.00, 10’ x 10’ (Two Burials) is $10,500.00, 10’ x 20’ (Five Burials) is $15,500.00, 20’ x 20’ (Ten Burials) is $22,500.00.

Maintenance fees for cremation plots are $20 and $35 for all remaining sized plots.

Erin Pasley confirmed this information is also available on the website.

Elaine Shively added that the prices are more expensive than other cemeteries, however de-rocking

is required which costs the cemetery quite a bit of money. The numbers are not arbitrary and the

plot cost does include concrete curbing, as well.

VIII. REVIEW OF CEMETERY NEWS/EVENTS

a. The Genoa Cemetery Association Newsletter Issue 2 Spring 2025 was mailed out to the membership. Bob Whear thanked Gayle Vassar for her efforts in making this newsletter for the cemetery.

b. Genoa Cemetery Association Memorial Day Observation May 27, 2024, and upcoming Observation May 26, 2025. Elaine Shively reported that Maggie Tracey and Chris Ritger organize this on behalf of the American Legion. Unfortunately, they could not attend the meeting today. This service will be held at the cemetery 10:00 a.m. on Memorial Day. There will be a chorus, honor guard, and speaker. Eric Brink added it was well received last year. This is anticipated to be an annual event. The American Legion places flags on all the veterans’ graves for the weekend. The audience asked if this event is advertised in the local paper, which was confirmed.

c. Genoa Cemetery Association Clean-up Day May 17, 2024.

Bob Whear reported that a clean-up day, recruitment of plot owners, will not occur for 2025 due to the extensive effort needed to organize. He is attempting to work with the Nevada Division of Forestry to send a crew out for clean-up for 2025, however has been unsuccessful to get a commitment to date. If the Forestry division does not respond, there is a bid from a landscape company to perform the clean-up instead. Bob also stated we are very fortunate that Douglas Disposal provides a 30-yard dumpster to assist with the effort.

John Adams requested the bid amount, which Bob replied $3,300.Bob also added that the GCA paid approximately $2,300 last year, even after the workday clean up, performed by plot owners, due to extensive pine needle clean up and weed abatement needed throughout the cemetery. Bob further stated that weeds will likely be better this year because Douglas County Weed District performed pre-emergent spray March 2025.

d. New Board Members' seats filled April 2024. Elaine Shively retained her Board seat, and we welcome new board member Georgia Kiewicz. These seat terms end 04/14/2027.

e. Update on rock pile.

Bob Whear reported the rock pile is slowly diminishing. This is helpful for when new de-rocking needs to occur as the pile will need to return. Eric Brink reiterated the rules when it comes to the rock pile: first come first serve, it’s free, and load your own.

f. Update on new Flagpole.

Bob Whear called on Roger Falcke for update on new Flagpole project. Roger stated there really isn’t an update. During 2024 there was a discussion about erecting new flagpole closer to Jacks Valley Road for visibility as current flagpole is hidden by trees. The goal had been to improve visibility with new placement, provide a taller flagpole and possibly include a veteran memorial built around it. There was a meeting Fall 2024 with proposed location, presumably slightly south of the current lone pine tree in the lower section of the cemetery. Loren Simpson had requested the installation of a veteran’s plaque over a year ago, as did the Sons of Civil War Group that would be specific to that group. Eric Brink is working with the Civil War group as they are currently working on their verification system and will come back to the GCA when that process is completed. It would be nice for all these moving parts to be implemented together with the new flagpole, however timing wise this may not be the case. Unfortunately, Loren has been so busy with travel that details have not come back on what it is he would like to have implemented, yet. Roger has an architect who is willing to assist with design, however, more input is needed to be able to formulate. Eric offered to send the picture of the Civil War plaque that was utilized in one of the Reno cemeteries. Cost estimation for new flagpole and lights of $3,000, but for the rest of the structure it is unknown currently. Elaine Shively asked as we move forward to possibly provide more images of flagpole bases, flag illumination, and accommodation for the memorial to give the board some sense of what will look nice and last a long time. Potential images could be posted to the website so people could view what is being considered.

g. Laurie Hickey's Historical tours of the Genoa and Mottsville Cemeteries.

Eric Brink reported he was able to attend Laurie’s walking of the Genoa Cemetery. She is a great historical resource. We can broadcast future dates when she provides them.

h. Ongoing grounds challenges update and path forward.

Bob Whear updated regarding improved weed control as compared to last year, need to spray for Elm beetles, and every two months the front rock wall vines are sprayed. This year the Board agreed to replace the drip system, for the trees on the east side, as it was dilapidated and nearly impossible to maintain, which has been helpful.

A new spruce was planted at the south entrance for Arbor Day, replacing the tree that died four years ago, with support from the Town of Genoa’s donation.

i. Updating Genoa Cemetery Association Website.

Erin Pasley provided a visual overview of the updated website, highlighting key features including the price list, centralized contact information, maintenance fees, bylaws, rules and regulations, interment listings, and a new blog section for posting financials, agendas, newsletters and annual meeting minutes. Eric Brink added that we now have the capability to make changes to the website ourselves vs. having to have a website company make those changes, at an additional cost.

j. New Cemify mapping and record keeping software.

Erin Pasley presented Cemify’s features, including searchable records, mapping, document organization, and veteran identification, with Eric Brink noting it also records branch and war service. The software improves inventory tracking, and the interred list will eventually link directly to Cemify for easier public access. Roger Falcke commented it was money well spent. In response to John Adams’ questions, Erin and Eric clarified that Cemify is designed for small cemeteries and requires an annual renewal. Erin noted initial setup will take time as she must manually input information by walking the cemetery.

k. Western Heritage Days horse parade staging.

Elaine Shively reported that Western Heritage Days is a three-day event, with the GCA Board approving use of the lower lot on Saturday only for horse parade participants to park trucks and trailers for the 2 p.m. parade. Water will be available for animals, and Friends of Genoa (who hosts the event) will provide port-a-potties outside of cemetery boundaries for participants. “No event parking” signs will be posted, and access will be limited to parade participants under agreed terms and conditions. The Board will inspect the cemetery afterward to ensure compliance.
Eric Brink noted that families visiting or attending services will still have full access and added confidence in the event coordination led by Krissi Halliwell, who was once a GCA Board member.

VI. FUTURE EVENTS

a. Memorial Christmas tree celebration informal vs. formal.

Elaine Shively confirmed that Melissa Powell was not present and reviewed the background of the Memorial Christmas Tree, started by Krissie and Brent Haliwell as a way for families to honor loved ones using a tree on cemetery property. Elaine suggested Melissa’s concerns may relate to it not being an official cemetery event and some plot owners not receiving notification, proposing that it become a more formal event open to all plot owners. She recommended connecting Melissa with Krissie to address these concerns. Erin clarified that she emailed the GCA membership about the ceremony, it was shared on Genoa Neighbors and Friends, ornaments may be added at any time, and future events can be referenced through the new Google calendar feature on the website.

b. Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Monument. Estimated time frame Fall 2026.

Eric Brink revisited an earlier discussion, noting he met with the group verifying Civil War veterans interred in the cemetery, and the GCA Board is awaiting their findings. He acknowledged the likelihood that both Union and Confederate soldiers may be represented, which may never need to be addressed, but a potential twist. Once the group reports back, Eric will share how this has been represented in Reno cemeteries with the Board and Roger Falcke. He added that, ideally, the timing could align with the flagpole and veteran’s memorial project.

IX.ACTION ITEMS

a. Genoa Cemetery Board terms of Robert Whear, Tom Peters and Erin Pasley end April 2025.Elections to be held for these three seats, which would be a three-year commitment ending April 2028.

Bob Whear asked for nominations. Roger Falcke asked if the current Board members are willing to run again for their positions on the Board. All responded in affirmative. No other nominations were brought forth. Elaine Shively made a motion to declare Bob Whear, Tom Peters and Erin Pasley as the elected candidates for the three open terms on the Board. Eric Brink seconded. Passed unanimously.

X. ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEXT MEETING

Tentatively set for April 26, 2026 at 3 p.m.

At this time, John Adams asked about the positions that were just renewed, do they keep their office? Bob Whear clarified that at the next special meeting there will be a vote for officers. Eric did state a caveat to that is that the State requires a list of officers by the end of April, so the current officers will be listed for that purpose.

Bob Whear asked for last public comment and board comment.

Elaine Shively thanked the Board for the significant time and effort dedicated to maintaining the cemetery, noting examples such as Bob hand-watering trees when the irrigation system failed and emphasizing how much unseen work goes into caring for the property.

Bob added appreciation for the Board’s progress, saying it’s exciting to be “moving into the next century”. He expressed that it has been a pleasure to serve alongside such a hardworking team.

XI. ADJOURNMENT

Elaine made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Eric seconded. Passed unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 4:21 p.m.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Erin Pasley, Volunteer Genoa Cemetery Association Secretary

Minutes were approved April 19, 2026 Genoa Cemetery Association Member Annual Meeting