Thursday, Aug. 21,2014 -Mason County Journal- Page A-3
Nonprofit seeks to
lease unused land
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncounty, corn
The increasing popularity
of cremation over full burial
is leaving acres of untouched
ground at Shelton Memorial
Park, the nonprofit cemetery in
the Mountain View neighbor-
hood.
"At least 11 acres are sitting
there, idle, where there's no
plans for cemetery places, may-
be for a hundred years," said
Robert Shaw, the president of
the cemetery's board of direc-
tors. "I'd like to see that prop-
erty generating money."
Shaw said he can imagine
those unused acres hosting a
Christmas tree farm or a shrub-
bery business, "something that
would not be a big investment
in buildings."
"There's got to be something
that could be utilizing this
space, even if it's just some sort
of garden that supports food
programs," he said.
Shaw added, "I'm sure some-
one's got an idea that's reason-
able. I don't want to see a (pub-
lic) cemetery district set up and
the taxpayers picking up the
burden."
The cemetery property, at
the intersection of Van Buren
and C Streets, is zoned neigh-
borhood residential, said Steve
Goins, the city of Shelton's di-
rector of community and eco-
nomic development.
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
About 12,000 bodies are buried at the nonprofit cemetery Shelton Memorial Park, but the
number of new arrivals is slowing down because of the increasing popularity of cremation.
Among the allowed uses deciding if this is an accessory ciation was formed about 1910.
would be agricultural uses not use or note," Goins wrote in an The board members who repre-
involving retail sales, Goins email to the Journal. "I'm not sent the founding groups and
said. The city's municipal code sure just how large the prop- the public are unpaid.
states that on lots or parcels of erty is and how much would be The park has three full-time
1 acre or more, poultry and/or dedicated to agricultural uses." employees, two groundskeep-
livestock can be kept, providing The original section of theers and a secretary.
the livestock does not exceed one cemetery, was established by About 12,000 bodies are
for each half acre. The zoning the Masonic Lodge about 1887, buried at the cemetery, but the
also allows for accessory uses followed by sections openednumber of new arrivals is slow-
and buildings, "complimentary by the American Legion and ing down.
to the basic architectural char- Veterans of Foreign Wars, the "The general trend is crema-
acter of the main building on Catholic Church and the Inde- tion, and that's the way it is
the lot," according to the code. pendent Order of Oddfellows. with other cemeteries," Shaw
"Assuming no on-site retail The Mason County public sec- said.
sales are being considered, it tion had its first burial in 1889. The cemetery had 37 full
would seem the key issue is The Shelton Cemetery Asso- burials and 48 cremations in
2011, 33 full burials and 54 cre-
mations in 2012 and 42 full buri-
als and 46 cremations in 2013.
So far this year, it has had 14
full burials and 47 cremations.
The expense of full burials
is one factor, Shaw said. And
when bodies are cremated,
most of the ashes aren't in-
terred in cemeteries, he said.
"They end up in the river,
over steel bridges, you name
it," he said.
A vote to create a public
cemetery at Shelton Memo-
rial Park failed by a few hun-
dred votes a few years ago, and
Shaw said he is fine with that
result.
"I would rather see the cem-
etery stay private and find
another income to support the
cemetery," he said.
When the cemetery sells a
plot, it is required to pay 15 per-
cent of it to the state to cover the
operations of the facility when
the cemetery is full, Shaw said.
That endowment has reached
about $500,000, he said.
"We cannot touch that mon-
ey until the cemetery is full,
which might not happen," said
Dustee Sage, the cemetery's
secretary.
The association received
an anonymous donation of
$100,000 in January, Shaw
said. Donations can be made by
contacting the cemetery at 426-
2152.
Civil War veterans are bur-
ied in the cemetery.
"There's a lot of history
here," Sage said. "There's a lot
of people in the community who
love this place."
11
. Sunday
a.m. - 8 p.m.
Monday 8e Tuesday
Wed. - Sun. from 2:30- 4:30
110 S. First St, Shelton, WA 98584
360-426-1421 * * * 360-426-1456
|
uction Services
coming this September
Live Recording - Audio/Video Production Studio
205 West Cota St. Shelton, WA
360-432-0784
jamesjohnsonproduction.com- jjrecording @gmail.com
