Cranbrook city council has gotten its first look at what the future of the Westlawn cemetery might look like.
The draft Westlawn Cemetery Master Plan looks at the next 40 years and the development needed over that time.
If the plan is approved by council, there will likely be some changes to the design of the cemetery to improve accessibility.
“We can create a formal pedestrian crossing from Westlawn to Old General Cemetery to increase the safety and accessibility between the two cemeteries,” said public works manager Kirby Korven.
“We can pave Borden Road West for dust control and plant a hedge row to improve frontage. Throughout the cemetery, we could reduce the number of driveways and create clear pathways to improve overall flow within the cemetery.”
In the next one to two years, an infill strategy will need to be developed and implemented for five years of additional cremations lot inventory and three years of additional casket lot inventory
And in the next five years, the city will need to look at an expansion to cover 40 years of cremation and casket inventory.
The city will also be looking at raising fees so it can break even.
“I believe we need to look at a way that this breaks even,” said councillor Wes Graham.
“I don’t think we can tax the folks that are in there now, but we could look at other ways of how we do business. People are laid to rest there for eternity and then it becomes our problem to maintain it for eternity.”
The cemetery had a net loss of $82,500 from 2018-2022.
MORE: Cranbrook cemetery being run at a loss (Mar. 21, 2024)
Council is considering a one-time increase to cemetery fees and an annual one per cent increase to help balance the books.
The full cemetery master plan can be found here.
It will be back for council consideration during the Oct. 21 regular council meeting.
Something going on in your part of the Kootenays you think people should know about? Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].