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Christine Bassett, Clerk 6042 Acme Road Williamsburg MI 49690 (231) 938-1350 Sharma Zollinger,
Deputy Clerk
ACME TOWNSHIP CEMETERIES Acme Township owns two cemeteries. Acme Cemetery was established in July 11, 1895 and is located on US 31 North just before the entrance to the Grand Traverse Resort. Yuba Cemetery was established in July 19, 1904 and is located five miles north of Acme on US 31, at Yuba.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs): Click on a question and you will be taken to the spot further down the page where that particular question is answered. after each question is a link that you can click to be brought immediately back to the top of this section. What is the cost and size of burial plots in Acme and Yuba Cemeteries? How many burials are allowed per plot and can cremains be placed on a full size plot? Does the Township ever repurchase burial lots or plots? Who do I contact to arrange a date and time of a burial? Who is responsible to erect and maintain grave markers? What are the guidelines for the Acme and Yuba cemetery grounds? Who should be contacted if a marker is sinking and needs to be raised? What can be planted on grave plots and are hanging baskets and urns allowed? Who is responsible for shrubs and trees that are encroaching upon a beloved ones grave? Can vacant cemetery lots or plots be forfeited back to the township? If cemetery grounds are misused, can the Township take legal action? I'm performing genealogic or historic research. How do I locate an individual's gravesite?
ANSWERS
Who administers the cemeteries, how can a plot be purchased, can the plot be transferred, and what are cemetery hours? The office of the Township Clerk administers all duties of Acme and Yuba cemeteries and lots are sold only to Acme Township residents. The Township Clerk or Deputy Clerk can assist you with choosing a location and making a purchase. All sales of a burial plot shall be recorded on a Cemetery Deed and provided to the purchaser of the said plot(s). Such deed shall be executed only by the Township Clerk’s office. Cemetery plots cannot be purchased through the funeral home.
Burial rights may only be transferred to those persons eligible to be an original purchaser (resident of Acme Township) of a cemetery plot(s) within the Township. Transfer of all burial rights must be made in the presence of the Township Clerk, endorsement by the Township Clerk on the originally issued Cemetery Deed and the official records of the said clerk. The Township Clerk shall issue a new Cemetery Deed indicating the transfer from the original purchaser to current purchaser and shall cancel and terminate the original deed at no additional cost.
The Township Clerk shall maintain records concerning all burials, issuance of burial permits, and any perpetual care fund, separate and apart from any other records of the Township and the same shall be open to public inspection at all reasonable business hours.
The cemetery shall be open to the general public from Dawn to Dusk each day. No person shall be permitted in the Township’s cemeteries at any time other than the foregoing hours, except upon permission of the Township Board or the cemetery sexton.
What is the cost and size of burial plots in Acme and Yuba Cemeteries? Each burial space/plot shall cost the sum of four hundred dollars and shall be deposited in the Township's Cemetery Fund. By resolution, the Township Board may periodically alter the forgoing fees to accommodate any increases in cost and needed reserve funds for cemetery maintenance and acquisition. Burial plots range from 12 by 6 ft to 10 by 7 ft.
How many burials are allowed per plot and can cremains be placed on a full size plot? Only one person may be buried in a burial space, with the only exception for a mother and infant or two children buried at the same time. No less than a 36-hour notice shall be given (to the cemetery sexton or township clerk’s office) in advance of any funeral to allow for the opening of the burial space. All burials shall be within a standard concrete vault installed or constructed in each burial space before interment. A cemetery deed or appropriate permit for the burial space involved, together with appropriate identification of the person to be buried therein, shall be presented to either the cemetery sexton or the township clerk’s office prior to the interment. Where the cemetery deed or appropriate permit has been lost or destroyed, the Township Clerk shall be satisfied from his or her records, that the person to be buried in the burial space is an authorized and appropriate one before any burial is commenced or completed. All graves shall be located in an orderly and neat appearing manner within the confines of the burial space involved. One or two family cremains can be placed on a full size cemetery plot.
Does the Township ever repurchase burial lots or plots? Yes, the Township will repurchase any cemetery burial lot or plot from the owner for the original price paid to the Township, upon the written request of said owner or his or her legal heirs or representatives.
Who to contact to arrange a date and time of a burial? Grave opening and closing prior to and following a burial therein, and including the interment of ashes, shall be at a cost determined by a Resolution of the Township Board, and no burial spaces shall be opened and closed except under the direction and control of the cemetery sexton. and or Township Clerk. The request for opening of a burial site can be through the funeral home directly to the Acme Township Clerk , at 231-938-1350, and the cost for preparation and closing of a burial site will be paid to the Acme Township Clerk. If the funeral home is unable to contact the Township Clerk's office, the request for the preparation and closing of a burial site can be made through the cemetery sexton, Ernie Keech, who can be reached at (231) 267-5735. This above provision does not apply to proceedings for the removal and exhumation of bodies and remains, which are handled under the supervision of the local health department.
Who is responsible to erect and maintain grave markers? All markers or memorials must be of stone or other equally durable composition. Any large upright monuments must be located upon a suitable solid foundation to maintain the same in an erect position. Only one monument, marker or memorial shall be permitted per burial space and the footing or foundation upon which any monument, marker or memorial must be placed shall be constructed by the shall be constructed by the Township at cost to the owner of the burial site.
What are the guidelines for the Acme and Yuba cemetery grounds? No grading, leveling or excavating upon a burial space shall be allowed without the permission of the Cemetery Sexton or the Acme Township Clerk. Surfaces other than earth or sod are prohibited. The cemetery sexton shall have the right and authority to remove and dispose of any and all growth, emblems, displays or containers therefore that through decay, deterioration, damage or otherwise become unsightly, a source of litter, or a maintenance problem. All refuse of any kind or nature including, among others, dried flowers, wreaths, papers, and flower containers must be removed or deposited in containers located within the cemeteries. All questions or concerns of the cemetery grounds should be directed to the Acme Township Clerk.
Who should be contacted if a marker is sinking and needs to be raised? If grave markers are sinking and need to be raised, contact the Acme Township Clerk’s office and provide which cemetery, plot number, and name of person buried in the plot needing attention.
What can be planted on grave plots and are hanging baskets and urns allowed? No flowers, shrubs, trees or vegetation of any type shall be planted without the approval of the cemetery sexton or the Acme Township Clerk. Before placement of items on the burial plot, the cemetery sexton or the Acme Township Clerk must approve placement of hanging baskets, planters, and urns on a burial site. The Township or the cemetery sexton may remove any or all of the foregoing items, if approval was not sought. Mounds, which hinder the free use of a lawn mower, or other gardening apparatus, are prohibited.
Who is responsible for shrubs and trees that are encroaching upon a beloved ones grave? The Township Board reserves the fight to remove or trim any tree, plant or shrub located within the cemetery in the interest of maintaining proper appearance and the use of the cemetery. .
Can vacant cemetery lots or plots be forfeited back to the township? Cemetery lots or burial spaces sold after the effective date of the township ordinance (June 6, 1983) and remaining vacant forty years from the dated of their sale shall automatically revert to the Township upon occurrence of the following events:
If cemetery grounds are misused, can the Township take legal action? Yes, any person, firm or corporation who violates any of the provisions of the Cemetery Ordinance shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of up to one hundred dollars and/or imprisonment for up to 90 days in jail, as may b e determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. Any persons using the cemetery for parking of motor vehicles except for cemetery related functions and purposes such as: funerals, maintaining plots and the cemetery grounds, or to visit a specific grave site will be considered to be violating the Township Cemetery Ordinance and be guilty of a misdemeanor as per the Cemetery Ordinance.
I'm performing genealogic or historic research. How do I locate an individual's gravesite? The Clerk's office is verifying and uploading our cemetery records to the Find A Grave website. You can also call, e-mail or stop by the Clerk's office and ask for Deputy Clerk Sharma Zollinger.
The Cemetery Ordinance may be inspected at the Acme Township Clerk's office located at 6042 Acme Road, Williamsburg, Michigan 49690. Please call Dorothy or Sharma if you have any questions!
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