EL DORADO COUNTY

PIONEER
CEMETERIES COMMISSION
(a California 501(3)(c) Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation)

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
to
Approve GPR at Georgetown Pioneer Cemetery

          General Services is asking the board of supervisors to approve amendment of an existing contract for Ground Penetrating Radar at county-owned cemeteires that was first approved by the board in 2001.  At that time the list of cemeteries included the Mormon Island, Shingle Springs, Diamond Springs, Smiths Flat, Spanish Dry Diggings, County Hospital Cemetery and Middletown cemeteries.  Adding Georgetown Pioneer to the existing contract makes for a total of eight county-owned cemeteries that will be surveyed and platted for mapping purposes.
          In addition to the above named cemeteries, the County has also paid for GPR surveys of the Fair Play Cemetery and the Skinner Ranch Cemetery.  For the Fair Play Cemetery, the County also provided for a land survey of the outer boundaries of the grounds.
          In the case of Georgetown Pioneer Cemetery, the County previously had all open areas that appeared to be vacant ground surveyed at a cost of $9,000.  Unfortunately, the contractor who performed the work at that time failed to provide the county with a full report of the survey findings.  A survey map was provided, however, that delineated the areas in which unmarked graves were identified.
          We commend the County for realizing that these historic cemeteries have no historic interment records or plot maps.  In the cases where the cemeteries are still operating, whether legally or illegally, it is especially important to identify the location of all graves within the cemetery so as to prevent burying over older graves.

BOS Meeting of June 25, 2002
Agenda Item No. 16

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