PWS_Cemetery_Maintenance_11_Oct_17.pdf

Performance Work Statement For

Grounds Maintenance on King and Feagin Cemeteries

11 October 2017

Period of Performance: 1 Nov 17 - 30 Sept 18

Project Priority: Both cemeteries should be protected and maintained in a manner that preserves them in perpetuity. In order to do so, the following measures should be implemented when managing vegetation:

All precautions should be taken to not damage, disturb, or disrespect any marker, monument, or burial site.

Prior to start, work within each site should be coordinated with the Cultural Resources Program Manager (478-327-9273).

The Cultural Resources Program Manager, or designee, will provide oversight to ensure damage does not occur during grounds maintenance activities.

Trees and shrubs whose roots threaten a grave or grave marker should be removed carefully;

stumps should be ground down to ground level, and roots should be left in place to decompose;

use of pesticides to control regrowth should be avoided in historic cemeteries since most pesticide formulations contain salts or acids that are particularly harmful to marble, limestone, and brick gravestones.

Grass should be maintained by small mowers or string trimmers; mowers should have mower guards in place to keep from damaging grave stones in the case of the Feagin Cemetery, or bricks jutting up from the ground in the case of the King Cemetery; string in trimmers should be 6/10” or less to keep from cutting into stones or bricks; the area next to grave markers should be cleaned by hand alone due to potential damage from machinery.

Invasive and poisonous plants, including but not limited to poison ivy, poison oak, kudzu, mimosa, chinaberry, and wisteria, should be removed by hand or string trimmer if necessary;

plants known to have been used as ornamentals more than 50 years ago should be retained, including, but not limited to, large oaks, eastern red cedars, yucca (Figure 1), and vinca.

A. King Cemetery

• Ground covering vegetation (poison ivy, Virginia creeper, etc.), woody vegetation, fallen trees, and tree limbs will be removed on a quarterly basis.

• Vegetation on the perimeter will be maintained on an annual basis to prevent encroachment into the interior of the fence.

• Yucca will be maintained as a historic ornamental. 50% of yucca plants will be remove on initial treatment.

• Precautions described above should be taken to preserve hardscape.

B. Feagin Cemetery

• Ground covering vegetation (poison ivy, Virginia creeper, etc.), woody vegetation, leaf litter, fallen trees, and tree limbs will be removed once a month from April-September and once a quarter from October- March.

• Grass will be maintain at 2” or less. Mowing will occur once a month from April-September and once a quarter from October- March.

• Trees at the entrance and on the perimeter should be trimmed to the height of the perimeter fence and maintained to prevent encroachment into the interior of the cemetery.

• Initial treatment will include the removal of all woody vegetation growing within the cemetery, including the water oak, black cherry, and crape myrtles.

• Initial treatment will include removal of woody vegetation growing within the cypress trees and large oak trees on the outside perimeter of the cemetery.

• Precautions described above should be taken to preserve hardscape.