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When Brunetti bought the land, he believed he owned the cemetery despite an exemption stating that the 1-acre parcel where the cemetery is located was not included in the sale and never legally owned by the Stemmes, county records show.
The formal vote to appoint the Friends of Boone as caretakers was needed after the commissioners acknowledged last month the county had taken over custodianship of the cemetery after no heirs of the Griswold family came forward to remain owners of the property.
"I feel that it's in the county and this monument's best interest if we have a group such as yours to take control and the maintenance and the caretaking of this," Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson said. "I also feel that Mr. Brunetti has the same interest, but it seems there is a big misunderstanding. Hopefully we can get this worked out where we are all working together."
Last Thursday's meeting was held in the commission chambers at the courthouse with about 15 representatives of the Friends of Boone group in attendance.
Neither Brunetti nor his attorney, Nicholas Burkemper of the Summer Compton Wells firm, attended last Thursday's meeting despite the commission saying phone calls were made and received inviting them both.
In a letter mailed to the commissioners dated Oct. 6, Burkemper said Brunetti became owner of the cemetery when he purchased the property. Burkemper wrote that the Stemmes "exclusively maintained, repaired and oversaw the Bryan Cemetery at their sole expense" for the approximately 52 years prior to selling the property to Brunetti.
However, the commissioners reiterated Brunetti does not own the cemetery property. According to county records, the cemetery was exempted from the legal description and Brunetti is owner of only 31.6 acres surrounding the cemetery. The property is listed under IPX, a corporation headed by Brunetti, who also owns 17.7 acres across the road.
Commissioners and Friends of Boone members also disagreed with Burkemper's letter and said that several local organizations helped mow the cemetery and maintain the area during the time the Stemmes owned the land.
No heirs of the Griswold family responded to a legal notice published for three straight weeks beginning Aug. 13 in The Record seeking descendants who had any interest to remain owners of the property.
During that time, the Friends of Boone submitted a petition to the commissioners stating the organization's interest in becoming the cemetery's caretakers. At last week's meeting, Hampson noted the county received no other petitions from groups or individuals.
"It shows you have the desire to maintain and improve (the cemetery), not for a short time frame but from here on," Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage said.
At last week's meeting, Friends of Boone President Marc Houseman said in previous conversations Brunetti demanded the group acquire liability insurance to work on the cemetery, allow him to have veto power on all cemetery decisions and to "call off" the commission.
Members of the Friends of Boone said it's their intent to preserve the cemetery and nearby Boone Monument plaque area as a tourist destination. Houseman said the organization is hopeful of forming a partnership with Brunetti.
"We want him to be a part of us," Houseman said. "We don't want him to be sitting over there against us."
The commissioners said a survey needs to be conducted to determine where the 1-acre cemetery sits. Ground-penetrating radar is expected to be used to find additional unmarked gravesites on the property.
The county commission also will write a letter to Brunetti requesting a box that has been collecting monetary donations from visitors be taken down. A lock on the box belongs to Brunetti, according to Friends of Boone members.
A renewed interest has been shown in the past year to preserve the Boone Monument and Bryan Cemetery in hopes of the property becoming a state historical landmark. On July 25, a rededication ceremony was held to celebrate the return of Daniel Boone's gravesite marker. The original bronze plaque was stolen from the monument in June 2008.
