Independent consultant to review cemetery — Delray Beach has hired a consulting firm to address long-standing complaints about plots and maintenance at Delray Beach Memorial Gardens Municipal Cemetery.
The comprehensive review by Kuehne Cemetery Consulting, of Casselberry, was scheduled to start in September and last six weeks at a cost of $15,000, according to the city manager’s office.
Meanwhile, City Manager Terrence Moore reported at a recent City Commission meeting that re-engineering and land reconfiguration have resulted in the availability of 100 new plots at the cemetery, which had reached full capacity.
The cemetery, at 901 SW 10th St., has been a source of complaints from residents about lack of space, misidentified plots and poor groundskeeping.
Kuehne will review maintenance standards, customer service, communication practices and finances, among other items, and then issue a report of its findings and recommendations. The city was scheduled to hold a Sept. 30 community input meeting for residents.
Money given to anti-drug programs — The Delray Beach City Commission awarded funds for anti-drug programs to two organizations at its Sept. 22 meeting: nonprofit group Living Skills in the Schools, of Delray Beach, for substance abuse prevention training and education; and Junior Achievement of Broward County. Both groups will receive $50,000 per year for three years for a total of $150,000 each.
The reimbursable grants will be funded through Caron Foundation Settlement funds. Delray Beach has a total of $947,566 in Caron funds and the city initially is considering allocations for half of that total, or $473,783.
At its Sept. 8 meeting, the City Commission also discussed using separate opioid litigation settlement funds to hire a community paramedic and a clinical social worker as part of a mobile integrated health unit for the Fire Rescue Department. But commissioners were concerned about being able to fund these positions beyond one year, so they advised city staff to come back later with a potential one-year contractual agreement for the personnel.
— Chris Gerbasi
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