While the Pemberton Cemetery may be the final resting place for many of the Pemberton Valley's pioneer families, it hasn't been updated in years and is running out of space.
A new plan from the Pemberton Cemetery Committee will seek to change all that by carrying out a significant "enhancement" of the historical cemetery.
The project includes adding gravel parking, expanding the cemetery's grounds, and building a new fence.
"We're now on to our fourth and fifth generations of residents living [in the Pemberton Valley], and we want to have a place where we can honour our families," said Krista Walden of the Pemberton Cemetery Committee.
Walden said she has been impressed with the level of support the project has received from the public so far.
Pemberton residents and businesses have offered both equipment and labour to carry out the project, so money raised will go directly towards materials and administration fees related to the expansion, explained Walden.
"It's the history of the Pemberton Meadows to get involved ... [Pemberton Valley residents are] very eager to help however possible—and a lot of them are machine operators and truck drivers."
Walden has secured $7,000 from the Pemberton Valley Utilities and Services Committee (PVUS) for the project, but the cemetery committee will need to raise significantly more money to carry out all of its objectives.
It is planning around $60,000 worth of work, with the most expensive projects being the construction of a parking lot, a new fence with concrete footings, and the construction of an aboveground columbarium.
The committee would also like to install a tool shed and a memory board where families can commemorate loved ones who aren't buried in the cemetery.
The project has a tentative start date for August or September 2020, and will begin fundraising early in the new year and into spring.
The project will enhance the aesthetics of the cemetery and respond to safety concerns, said Walden, explaining that people currently park on the shoulder of increasingly busy Pemberton Meadows Road and walk to it because on-site parking is not available.
Columbariums—which offer the opportunity to house cremated remains of loved ones—are increasingly popular and would be a good addition to the cemetery, she added.
"It's another way of increasing our ability to inter people with the limited space we have," said Walden. "They're very popular in British Columbia ... B.C. has a very high rate of cremation compared to other places in the world."
The Pemberton Cemetery Committee is currently working on expansion plans with the owners of the adjacent land Dreamcatcher Meadows farm.
Walden said the owners have agreed to provide some non-arable land that would effectively double the size of the cemetery, which is at around 85 per cent capacity once reserved plots are accounted for.
Yet before that deal goes forwards, B.C.'s Agricultural Land Commission, which restricts certain uses on agricultural land, needs to agree to bring the property out of the agricultural reserve, said Walden.
"[The transfer is] not a done deal yet, just because we have to get through the regulations of the governing body," said Walden.
The Pemberton cemetery has an interesting history.
Unlike many cemeteries, it's run by a the volunteer-run Pemberton Cemetery Committee (not a municipality or district), which was established in 1935.
And, curiously, the cemetery is owned by the Pemberton Legion.
In the 1950s, the land was still on title with the original farm that donated it, so the committee tried to get it put into the names of three individuals who were to act as trustees on behalf of the citizens.
According to the cemetery committee, the province wouldn't allow this, saying that title must be held by a legal body (not individuals).
That's when the Pemberton Legion stepped in and took over title for the cemetery (with the condition that the governance and maintenance continue to be operated by the committee).
"It's been 85 years now that we've had community volunteers administering and governing the cemetery," said Walden, whose great-grandfather was one of the original trustees of the cemetery.
"I think that's a cool piece of history."
Area C Director Russell Mack said that he is impressed with the level of support for the cemetery and the diligence of the committee.
"They've got a really good idea of what they want to do ... I will most certainly support them in any way I can," he said. Mack added that he could see more opportunity for local governments to contribute funding to the project as it develops in more detail.
"We're waiting for a plan and a budget to put forward into our budget process for next year," said Mack, adding that there is a possibility of allocating Area C amenity and gas-tax funds for it.
He added that the cemetery holds significant historical value, with important Pemberton families such as the Menzels, Gilmores, and Ronaynes all buried there.
"There's a lot of history there," said Mack.
"Just have a look at the names on the markers ... It's the history of the valley."
Anybody interested in being involved with the enhancement project can contact Walden ([email protected]) or Tanis Ayers at the Pemberton Legion ([email protected]).
