Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
November 19, 2015 11:27 a.m.
From 2012 to 2015, Fernandina Beach planning and parks staff worked in conjunction with a fact-finding working group of local citizens to develop the Bosque Bello Master Plan. City Community Development Director Adrienne Burke presented the plan to the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) as Resolution 2015-162. Following Burke’s summary presentation highlighting elements of the plan, which is required under the city’s Comprehensive Plan, commissioners voted unanimously to approve the item.
Background
The Recreation and Open Space and Historic Preservation Elements of the city’s Comprehensive Plan direct the creation of a Cemetery Master Plan. Bosque Bello Cemetery is a municipal facility that needs proactive planning and maintenance like any other city facility. The city needs to prepare for the future when this cemetery—the only public cemetery on Amelia Island—may be at capacity in 12-15 years. Bosque Bello is also a unique and important cultural resource, which needs protection and preservation as much as any other city historical site.
In crafting this plan, the city considered public input from a survey and a public workshop. Additionally, the plan was presented to and endorsed by the Historic District Council and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
City staff met regularly over a three-year period with a fact-finding working group, consisting of local citizens who brought a wide array of knowledge to consider in crafting the plan. The plan itself, available on the city’s website, is undoubtedly the most definitive work ever compiled on the history of the cemetery, governing city policies, and landscape and ecology, as well as challenges it faces to accommodate growth and opportunities for the future.
Presentation to City Commission
CDD Director Adrienne Burke explained why the plan was prepared and the benefits to be obtained by the city. The cemetery is under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Department. City staff reviewed cemetery master plans from other communities to assist in developing the Bosque Bello plan.
Burke highlighted contributions from working group members to both the plan and expanding the knowledge of the cemetery’s history and inhabitants. She said that information uncovered will serve as “a gold mine” to genealogists. She credited Teen Peterson, archivist of the Amelia Island Museum of History, with taking death certificates and burial records found in the City Clerk’s vaults to Tallahassee, where the state filmed them and added them to online files available to researchers in the Florida Memory Collections (www.FloridaMemory.com). She also highlighted Marie Santry’s work on genealogical records and Chris Belcher’s building on work that his father did to map the cemetery more than 20 years ago. She credited Marilyn Barger with most of the research on the various columbaria and other alternatives to in-ground burials.
Challenges
In addition to running out of space in 12-15 years, Burke cited other management challenges to Bosque Bello.
Burke said that the city continues to work on GIS mapping of the cemetery.
Commission action
Mayor Ed Boner thanked Burke and the working committee for the considerable work that went into such a comprehensive plan. The Resolution was unanimously approved.
The plan itself is a lengthy, detailed report, available on the city of Fernandina Beach’s website: www.fbfl.us.
This information was so incredible to hear at the meeting! So much to know, so much history….THANK YOU to Adrienne and those who helped! We look forward to hearing and finding out more!
Great work and thanks to all the effort by Adrienne and the others on the team developing the Master Plan. This is one of those issues that needs to be addressed now, not in 2025 when the cemetery is running out of plots and alternative burial options need to be available. The maintenance is another issue, especially with a tree management/replenishment plan as the stately oaks there continue to die and pose safety as well as aesthetic issues. All these issues are identified and discussed in the Master Plan and now is the time to start taking action.