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County readying public cemetery |
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Written by Andrew Powell
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 |
Officials say a county cemetery will be opened and available to the public by spring.
Officials say a county cemetery will be opened and available to the public by spring.
McCreary County Judge-Executive said this week work crews are completing final clearing of six acres in Stearns that will serve as a public cemetery. The issue was first discussed in June, with court members approving Phillips’ recommendation for the project.
At the time, Judge Phillips proposed turning six acres of county property on Robert Neal Road into a public cemetery. Phillips noted the measure would be a way the county could give back to its citizens and create a lasting memorial. Magistrate Ted Coffey supported the idea saying many local cemeteries have neared capacity and families have struggled with locating a final resting spot for their loved one.
Judge Phillips said the idea to create a public cemetery locally came to him after a visit to a public cemetery in a surrounding county. The county had the land available here with only minimal clearing necessary and seeding of grass needed to ready the acreage.
“I am certainly not anxious about the thought of local families facing a funeral for a loved one, but I am anxious about the relief this cemetery can bring to many families in a difficult time,” Judge Phillips said.
Phillips said burial plots would be made available to families faced with the loss of a lived one on a first come, first served basis. There will be no costs associated with acquiring a burial plot.
“This is something the county can provide to our citizens and no direct costs to them,” Phillips said. “The county has born the expense of readying the cemetery and will bear the costs of maintaining it.”
Phillips said an access road to the cemetery has been constructed and he plans on installing signage prior to making it available to the public.
“We want to make it a nice place in addition to providing a service I think is much needed,” he added.
The county will need to establish a cemetery board, prior to opening, in order to oversee and maintain the cemetery. Under state law, local cemetery boards can also work to obtain state funding to establish and/or preserve cemeteries.
Phillips noted previously the cemetery is six acres in size, but the county owns other land in the vicinity that could be used for expansion as needed.
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