PENTICTON — Every year, about 250 people make Lakeview Cemetery their final resting place in Penticton. But the city’s only available cemetery is getting crowded.
Penticton’s public works manager is proposing to expand Lakeview Cemetery to make room for about 1,300 more burial plots.
“The cemetery expansion is required because we are running out of in-ground burial plots for cremation and traditional interments,” says Len Robson.
Robson is requesting city council approved funding of $400,000 to expand the cemetery.
Not only will taxpayers help foot the bill. Burial costs at Lakeview Cemetery will likely increase by about 3% over five years if the expansion project gets the green light.
“We are slowly changing our rates to be more in line with the valley but we are sensitive to cost pressures and affordability,” says Mayor Andrew Jakubeit.
Jakubeit says a larger cemetery and increased fees could generate an extra $1.4 million for city coffers.
Councillor Helena Konanaz says council considered contracting out the cemetery services but has decided against it.
“I think it looks as if contracting it out would cost us a little bit more in the end. At this point, we need to expand the cemetery as soon as possible,” says Konanaz.
Penticton council is currently making budget deliberations to see if it can accommodate the proposed expansion.
If so, work could start next summer.
Comments