DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION SAVE OUR CEMETERIES, INC. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CEMETERY RESTORATION YEARS 2012-2014 1. RE-AFFIRMATION OF CORE MISSION The board of directors of Save Our Cemeteries, Inc. ( SOC ) has recently re-affirmed its commitment to its core mission to: (a) initiate and assist in the protection, preservation and restoration of historic New Orleans cemeteries; and (b) restore abandoned and neglected burial sites of architectural, historic and educational value. The board directed the SOC restoration committee and the SOC executive director to prepare this detailed restoration plan to implement the program recommendations of the Restoration SWOT Analysis prepared by the restoration committee and approved by the board of directors on September 8, 2011. Resumption of a deliberative and active restoration program is necessary and advisable so that SOC can remain true and attentive to its mission and in order to energize and sustain the active engagement of its members and supporters. This plan represents a cohesive and coordinated road map for providing the complex fiscal and programmatic elements of a renewed and active restoration program. 2. OVERVIEW SOC recognizes that decades of infrastructure deterioration and of neglect of many of the family and society tombs that comprise the historic cemeteries of New Orleans presents an enormous challenge. Realistically, the resources directly available to SOC to seek to ameliorate the effects of this deterioration and neglect will in the short term be far less than what is needed. Accordingly, it is critical that SOC seek to leverage the available resources by seeking to engage the problem with broad, interrelated program elements, including among them utilization of both paid and volunteer resources; identification of sources of funding; enhanced communication with the public, cemetery owners, operators and regulators, and affinity organizations; ranking of the historic cemeteries as to allocation of available resources; development of a methodology for selection of tombs for restoration; classification of degrees of restoration, stabilization or maintenance as to the tombs selected; expanded education initiatives; and the securing of an improved legal framework for the implementation of the plan. This plan will address each of the program elements, and will seek to fashion a comprehensive implementation plan that proposes to operate discretely with regard to all of these elements while at the same time recognizing that the interdependency of the various elements necessitates that the plan must be advanced holistically to maximize the effectiveness and ensure a synergy that will result in observable progress and satisfactory outcomes. 3. TERM Cemetery and tomb restoration is not a short-term engagement for SOC. While it is anticipated that restoration work will be a continuing, long-term mission for SOC, the horizon for this plan is three years, commencing on January 1, 2012 and continuing to December 31, 2014. The end of the term at three years does not foretell any finality, completeness or termination of the plan on that date, but more a realistic benchmark with which to measure the progress and efficacy of the plan and its constituent elements. It is anticipated that, in advance of December 31, 2014 and as deemed to be necessary, the restoration committee and the board of SOC will carefully review the progress and success of the plan and either generally re-affirm the plan or adopt a different or new plan with updated or altered program elements.
4. CEMETERY SELECTION AND PRIORITIZATION SOC has of late focused its work and its educational initiatives in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 on Washington Avenue, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 on Basin Street, St. Louis No. 2 on N. Claiborne Avenue and Holt Cemetery on City Park Avenue. As recently as spring of 2010, SOC voted to focus greater attention and resources on St Louis No. 2, in consideration of the continuing threats to that historic cemetery. In addition, recent vandalism has highlighted the deterioration of Odd Fellows Rest, suggesting that that cemetery also be given a priority status for SOC. The SOC restoration program will initially focus its efforts on these five cemeteries, and will then expand upon those initial efforts with a more systemic plan that will direct available resources to engage and impact all of the historic cemeteries of New Orleans. SOC will seek to balance its resource allocation in a concerted effort to mitigate threats and maximize restoration opportunities in the most challenged cemeteries, all while seeking to offer targeted enhancement, such as expanded education initiatives, in those cemeteries considered to enjoy greater stability. 5. STAFFING Existing SOC paid staff is stretched thin, even before the undertaking of and expanded and enhanced program of restoration. It is anticipated that only some part of the time of the executive director will be devoted to restoration work and planning, which in any event will be insufficient for an effective implementation of the plan. After a full program of restoration is underway, a paid staff person will be necessary to run the program in its full development. It is believed to be feasible to hire at least a part-time program director for a period of time, perhaps during or after the first year, to begin broad implementation and effectuation of all program elements. In addition to paid staffing, proper utilization of dedicated volunteer resources will be critical. Volunteer labor will act in unison with the goals and objectives of the restoration program under the supervision of the paid staff, and will serve to supplement the resources of the staff. If recommended by SOC legal and tax counsel and determined to be feasible, SOC may seek to form a separate development entity to provide any part of the restoration plan that would contract for the provision of labor and materials for tomb restoration and rehabilitative work. If any such development entity is formed, SOC may assign such staffing and contracting to such separate entity 6. BUDGETING SOC should seek a program director with administrative and managerial experience, and with such hands-on knowledge and talents sufficient to understand restoration techniques and applications and the costs for provision of same. The issue of how and by whom the physical labor of the restoration work will be done is critical to determining staffing and program costs. It is not anticipated that a program director with hands-on restoration knowledge alone can provide the necessary physical labor for a meaningful implementation of the restoration program. Additional contractor expense is anticipated. The expense of staffing for the administration and labor of restoration will be properly budgeted in the 2012 and subsequent budgets. The cost of tomb restoration and stabilization is considerable. SOC presently lacks the resources to undertake any unfunded tomb restoration work, other than perhaps repairs, maintenance and minor stabilization. Capital funding sources for restoration work will be identified and outlined in fund-raising plans and in the budget for 2012 and subsequent years.
7. LEGISLATION SOC has concluded that the statutory basis for third party tomb restoration is inadequate and is not serving the interest of those cemeteries with abandoned historic tombs. The process of declaring a tomb abandoned, as well as both the restrictive limitations as to who has the right to seek an abandonment declaration and who has legal authority to effect remedial work for the amelioration of the conditions of deterioration, have had the unintended effect of perpetuating conditions of abandonment and neglect and compounding the gravity of this problem. While public policy considerations would properly suggest that licensed cemetery operators should have primacy of authority with respect to such processes, a sound argument can be advanced that there is a valid rehabilitative role to be played by cemetery preservation organizations with a recognized and established interest in historic tomb restoration work. SOC legal counsel and the SOC advocacy committee will undertake a review of the existing legislation underpinnings for tomb and cemetery restoration and will draft amendatory legislation that would seek to: (1) modify existing law to make restoration possible and feasible for cemetery non-profits; (2) provide for authority for public and private cemetery operators to enter into contractual arrangements with cemetery non-profits in order to provide legal standing for such nonprofits to pursue declarations of abandonment and to undertake restoration work on tombs that have been declared abandoned; 3) streamline the processes for abandonment declarations; and 4) facilitate the re-constituting of lapsed or defunct societies or the transferal of abandoned society tomb ownership to appropriate successor societies. Any proposed legislation would be presented o cemetery operators, the State Cemetery Board, and trade organizations in the interest of obtaining their views and comments with regard to such legislation, and to seek unified support for any such proposed legislation. 8. COORDINATION To enhance the effectiveness of its restoration program, it is necessary for SOC to better communicate and coordinate its mission, activity and programs with other organizations, businesses, and entities with an interest in cemetery preservation. Closer working relationships with the City of New Orleans, the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and cemetery owners and operators is essential, particularly with regard to the establishment of working and contractual relationships that would seek to expand the effectiveness of the established tomb abandonment declaration authority of such cemetery owners and operators. In addition, enhanced networking with private preservation entities and with the local universities is most important and will open up greater possibilities for joint programming and greater awareness of the importance of the mission of SOC. Though such networking, SOC will become more aware of and sensitive to the community of interest that exists within and among such affinity organizations and entities, and with regard to any shared resources that can be utilized and capitalized on in support of the mission of SOC. Targeted efforts and initiatives to effect such outreach will be made a part of the annual program of SOC. SOC will seek out important and helpful restoration programs and information from other cemetery organizations both within the State of Louisiana and outside the state, to expand its knowledge base and to aid in better identification of resources and techniques to serve its restoration program.
9. IDENTIFICATION OF RESTORATION PRIORITIES SOC will develop a tactical restoration plan that will formulate a methodology to categorize the degrees and gradations of restoration opportunities within the targeted cemeteries; identify and select a number of tombs and related cemetery infrastructure; rank and prioritize the selections; identify the human and fiscal resources that can be utilized with regard to each such selection; and provide a time line for commencement and completion of the restorative work. Priority consideration for tomb work will be given to tombs that have previously been restored by SOC, and a detailed survey, mapping and condition assessment for each such tombs will be conducted. The tactical plan will operationally define all elements and degrees of restoration work, including tomb roofing repair, improved weatherization, marble tablet reconstruction and repair, removal of mildew and grime, foliage removal and weed control, beautification, grounds maintenance, tree trimming, and cast iron fencing and elements cleaning, repair and replacement. The tactical restoration plan will officially commence in January, 2012, in a discrete section of St. Louis II Cemetery. SOC staff, board and volunteer resources sought from affinity institutions and organizations will be utilized in developing the methodological approach and in conducting the initial surveys and identification of targeted tombs and related structures. Any and all restoration work to be conducted under the auspices of SOC will be properly permitted, where determined to be necessary, and then only with the active knowledge, concert and participation of appointed officials from the responsible cemetery authority. Major reconstructive work on privately owned tombs shall only be undertaken with the necessary approval of the tomb owners, where applicable, and only after execution of contractual arrangements with such owner(s). Tombs that have been legally determined or declared to be abandoned under established legal processes will only be rehabilitated with necessary approvals from the cemetery authorities. All work undertaken by SOC will be fully respectful of and adherent to generally accepted conservation techniques and recommended standards of rehabilitation for historic structures. In addition, SOC will work with cemetery operators for greater recognition of such techniques and standards in the rehabilitation and maintenance programs of such operators. 10. CEMETERY CONTRACTORS SOC has access to a small pool of cemetery artisans upon whom it can draw for the provision of professional labor for restoration work, but a careful analysis of the availability, skill-set and cost of such labor will be completed so as to ascertain the feasibility of contracting for outside skilled labor in contrast with the possible hiring by SOC of in-house skilled labor. SOC will develop referral arrangements with reliable and competent contractors and skilled artisans for its own program purposes and so as to aid tomb owners with successful completion of private restorative and rehabilitative work. In addition, SOC will publish restoration information to further aid such owners and, where deemed feasible, will undertake contractual arrangements with tomb owners for the provision of restorative and rehabilitative services. 11. FUND-RAISING The development committee and the board of directors of SOC have committed to seek to raise the funds necessary for the staffing and implementation of the restoration plan. The SOC development committee will fashion a comprehensive fund-raising plan to serve the fiscal demands
of the restoration plan and will spearhead the implementation of the plan, with the active support and engagement of the board and staff of SOC. SOC will initially commit a defined amount of its existing resources to commence the restoration plan. In addition, a highly targeted early funding initiative soliciting from among the SOC board and recognized and sustaining SOC supporters will be conducted. The full funding plan will then be approved by the board no later than June 1, 2012, and implementation of the approved plan will commence immediately thereafter. Staffing of the restoration program and the physical work of restoration will be prioritized and phased commensurate with the currently available and projected fund-raising goals. The fundraising plan will be properly coordinated with the tactical plan so that sources of funds will be identified for each such element of the tactical plan, and restoration work will be timed, scheduled and planned consistent with the funds made available from fund-raising initiatives. The fund-raising plan will contain generalized solicitations for ordinary maintenance, and specialized initiatives that will target specific elements of the restoration plan, including, for example, an adopt-a-tomb program and fund-raising from tomb owners and from families and descendants of the original tomb owners. The fund-raising plan will take cognizance of the need to make provision for some form of perpetual care for any tombs that is restored by SOC, and to the fullest extent possible such arrangements will be made in every instance where a significant investment is made in tomb restoration and rehabilitation. The fund-raising plan will also provide for identification for capital funding from among whatever external public or private sources might be available, including funds from municipalities, state agencies, the federal government, public and private foundations, family funds, testamentary legacies and individual donations. The plan will also seek to identify sources of grants for cemetery preservation work and mitigation funds that might be available as an element of planning, recovery and redevelopment grants that the City of New Orleans or developers have secured, and every effort will be made to engage planners and development teams for SOC participation in such grants and programs. Special provisions will be included in the fund-raising plan for self-generated revenue, including, among other elements, programs that will seek to generate revenues through the re-sale of tombs donated to SOC; the informal brokering of tomb sales by SOC in exchange for charitable donations; charging for consultation services relative to tomb restoration and advice; and having SOC act as a general contractor for private tomb restoration work. 12. OPERATING POLICY MANUAL SOC staff will compile and utilize an operating policy manual for the entirety of the restoration program that will incorporate all elements that jointly serve to effectuate the program, including, but not limited to, a chart of operational responsibilities; a delineation of accepted and preferred historic tomb restoration techniques; tomb owner contracts; cemetery operator contracts; service contracts; third-party contractor work contracts, including skill requirements, insurance and bonding; volunteer and worker hold-harmless and indemnification contracts; donation documents and acceptance policies; licensing and permitting issues, and perpetual care agreements. doc7zz(2).doc