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Dublin acquired the cemetery all plots had already been sold. Organizationally, their Cemetery falls under the umbrella of the Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission. The Dublin Heritage and Preservation Association is anon-profit organization that has a relationship with the Dublin cemetery. They raise funds to support the cemetery (and other historical facilities in Dublin) but have no official role in terms of the cemetery's operations or governance. ^ City of Benicia. Benicia's cemetery also has historical significance with many founding families buried there. However, it is substantially larger at approximately 20 acres, and plot sales continue. Staff handles all elements of cemetery operations as part of the Parks Department. The most significant challenge for them has focused on the poor recordkeeping. Graves have been found in locations different from where mapped or unexpectedly filled by others. They have ongoing concerns about meeting grieving relatives' expectations related to burial services. This issue is likely to occur at the Pleasanton cemetery as well because of the rudimentary manner in which the records are kept as discussed below. CEMETERY RENOVATION AND MAINTENANCE OPTIONS As part of the analysis related to City ownership, staff analyzed improvements needed to meet minimal City maintenance standards and to avoid potential safety hazards. With City ownership, safety issues become a more significant concern because the site would become a public, rather than private, facility and is -ikely to receive more visitors. It did not investigate other service levels often accompanied with historical cemeteries such as restoration. Regarding ongoing maintenance, staff's focus has been on whether to retain or eliminate turf. The latter option is generally consistent with a "Pioneer" standard commonly used for historical cemeteries. Maintenance Option I: Maintain at "Pioneer" Standard Without Grass This option assumes removal of any existing common area turf, existing above ground sprinkler heads, manual valves, and other components that present potential tripping hazards. Removal would eliminate the need for costly weekly hand mowing, edging and irrigation system maintenance of the various small common turf areas, which compose the site. Essentially the site would become a "dry" landscape and maintenance efforts would focus on tree pruning, weed control, leaf and litter removal and maintenance of hardscape. This maintenance level would be similar to that of the adjacent St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church Cemetery (see Exhibit 8 for photos) and the Dublin Cemetery (as shown in Exhibit 7). Maintenance Option 2: Maintain at "Landscaped" Standard With Grass This option includes turf renovation and maintenance to enhance existing turf areas. Anew water-efficient irrigation system would be installed along with turf grass throughout the site. The hardscape curbing that surrounds the plots would be repaired to remove hazards and roadways repaved. 'This approach would present a more "park like" appearance for the site. SR 06:203 Paae~ R