Email from Brian Johnson to Kate Aanenson 11-05-2013Aanenson, Kate
From: Brian Johnson [bjohnsonssg @gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 7:10 AM
To: Aanenson, Kate
Cc: Gerhardt, Todd; Furlong, Tom; Engelhardt, Karen; Laufenburger, Denny
Subject: Re: Pioneer Cemetery Expansion
Kate, Todd, Tom, Karen and Denny,
For weeks now I have been looking forward to our meeting and discussion about the Pioneer Cemetery.
Unfortunately, I am now out of town dealing with an important personal family matter, and I may not be able to
attend tonight's meeting at 8:00 at City Hall. There is a slight chance I will still be able to make it, but right
now it looks doubtful. Right now my priority is with my family.
In case I can't make the meeting, I would like to share some thoughts with all of you on this proposal. Please
include the points below into the public record at the Planning Commission Meeting tonight:
1. We are extremely disappointed to read in the current report on your website, that you are now back to
proposing a full expansion of the cemetery. The City proposed this back in 2010, and agreed to not
move forward after hearing objections from residents. A couple of months ago, only I received a letter
that part of this expansion was going to take place, and now you are back to the full expansion plan.
How is this being neighborly, and how can you justify this course of action?
2. I believe your plan, with the removal of virtually all the trees and underbrush, will negatively affect the
property value of my property, and the property value of my immediate surrounding neighbors, if not the
entire neighborhood. This has been my position from the start.
3. Adding additional grave sites to this cemetery will only delay the inevitable. Today it is full. It will be
full again, so it seems this expansion is simply kicking the problem down the road. Expansion will also
mean an even larger maintenance expense, and a reduced tax base to pay for the increase maintenance
costs. I did not see any kind of economic impact study in your plan. Was one done? You only sell these
plots once, but maintenance lasts forever.
4. Today the Pioneer Cemetery stands as a charming and quaint reminder'of the history of the Chanhassen
area. Why would you want to take down all the surrounding trees and turn it into a Wal -Mart parking
lot? I would think the current families that have loved ones there now would object to completely
changing the character of this great old cemetery, which I think your plan will do. The current Pioneer
Cemetery reenactments will lose their charm and impact as well.
5. Once you remove all the trees and underbrush as proposed in your plan, who would want to purchase a
plot that is only a few feet from someone's personal back yard? Would you?
6. If you expand the cemetery, and have numerous new funerals there, where will you have people park?
The recent changes to Galpin Blvd in front of the Pioneer Cemetery removed the parking lane that did
exist there. Will you spend even more tax money to redo the road again to allow safe parking for
funerals?
7. We implore you to do what is both good for the surrounding neighborhood and financially responsible,
and do not do any kind of expansion to the beautiful Pioneer Cemetery.
Sincerely,
Brian, Jan, Alex, Charlie and Luke Johnson