Memorials in Oakdale Park and Exceptions to No Policy that Exists (June 2016)
14 June 2016 at 12:47:25 PM
salon
Suppose you wanted to create or name a memorial for a loved one at Oakdale Park, for example, a tree. Would you be able to do it?
From May 11, 2015 City of Glen Rose Town Council meeting
Rough transcript: Kyle McCain speaking with councilman Jones for awhile, asking for direction from council regarding memorial trees. What type of trees, where would go, who's responsible for trees... assistance from policy standpoint. County has tentatively approved a memorial tree program. ..Who selects locations, who selects the trees? Sandra Ramsay: City does not even have a memorial policy. We did a memorial to Oakdale Music for Dennis Ramsay. I have been asked to talk with the city about a memorial for someone that recently died that loved animals to be able to establish a memorial fund to give to the animal shelter. We really need, before we even think about trees, to establish a memorial policy procedure and under that, whether it's trees or to a department, getting more and more of this.. benches.. need to establish a memorial policy first, you don't know who to make the check out to McCain and who's responsible for the money? Who counts the money, private money coming in ,in the past gone into general fund and basically been lost at that point, not used separately, some sort of accounting for that fund. Ramsay-in our situation, the checks were made out to Oakdale Park funds because it's on their budget, so the money is there it would be to the city of Glen Rose, to animal care in memory of. Moore: Obligated to get another tree if it dies. McCain. A memorial policy in general is something the city needs to have. If someone just wants to stick a sign up and nobody noticed it for a while, you might have a memorial bench you don't know about. Bryant. Separate policy, people actually paying for it, placement by the city...... Ramsay I just want a memorial policy
So far as I can tell, city council never went further to develop a policy regarding memorializing trees, benches, etc.
That brings me to my question. There is a marker for Dennis Ramsay Memorial Fund that sits squarely on the music stage in the middle. The placing of the marker gives the appearance that the stage has been named, as opposed to having a marker on the side at the back, etc. Since it's apparent that City Council had no policy on memorials or funds at the time, and it was not voted on, how did the plaque get placed there? Second, the plaque doesn't simply memorialize Dennis Ramsay, who at one time was my county commissioner and is also the late husband of Sandra Ramsay. (Adding here that this has nothing to do with his love of music or being a good man or people memorializing him, etc but about the policy and procedure of doing so at a public taxpayer funded facility). Presumably, because the plaque doesn't simply have his name but also says it's a fund, it implicitly calls out for those who would like to generously donate in his name. I asked David, the current manager of Oakdale about this. He knew nothing about the plaque or people donating money but said he would find out from the city administrator. Here is part of what he sent to Chester Nolen from me.
As I said, I have mixed feelings about this. I very much like Sandra Ramsay and liked her husband Dennis Ramsay. I heard anecdotally that the sign was put up during a tribute to him after his death. I don’t know that it was put up by Sandra or who created the signage. The other side of this is that Oakdale is not a private facility, so I tend to agree with the commenter that any memorials should be approved by City Council and there should be a policy that governs how others who might want to have a loved one remembered can have that done at Oakdale or other spots throughout the city.....As a side note, I notice that the sign references a *fund*. Does Oakdale have a policy wherein people can put up permanent signage soliciting monies?
Chester Nolen's reply
In attempting to dig into, since there is no policy or procedure concerning this, how the sign ended up in a prominent center position, I found a reference at a previous city council meeting in the Oakdale Park report (Kelly Nobles) for October 14, 2014 that indicated it was a program Oakdale Park decided to do.
So, you have a plaque that memorializes someone and references a specific fund. Next questions are, suppose you, as a visitor at Oakdale Park, wanted to donate money in the name of Dennis. Is that being tracked? No.Also, would it be proper for you to ask for, say, a memorial bench, and the sign solicit donations in whoever's name? I asked, via an open record
Bank statement for May, 2015 and account(s) used for the Dennis Ramsay Memorial Fund, including whatever statement shows the bank balance.
