Community Corner
Poll: Should Birmingham Expand Greenwood Cemetery?
City Clerk Laura Broski said there's a waiting list of those who want to be buried at the historic city cemetery.
Should Birmingham think about expanding ?
That's the question city commissioners discussed at their meeting last Monday, when Commisssioner Rackeline Hoff noted that there's currently a waiting list of 40 people who want to buy plots at the historic cemetery.
Currently, all the plots at the cemetery have been sold but City Clerk Laura Broski said the clerk's office is working to reclaim unused cemetery plots at Greenwood and other city grave sites.
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, Broski also said the city clerk's office will conduct a physical inventory of all city graves in 2012, investigating each with ground-penetrating radar. If a plot is empty, Broski said her office will track down the owner to confirm whether the plot can be reclaimed by the city.
Hoff told commissioners during an informal discussion that a resident had noted there is an empty lot for sale to the immediate east of the cemetery, on Oak Street. Another empty lot on Lakeside could also be used an extension, Hoff said.
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Mayor Mark Nickita said this was an issue he's been considering for a few months now.
"Apparently, it's not easy to find your final rest in our city," he said. "I think there are a number of things we can explore to enhance our cemeteries, as well as take advantage of the current market conditions."
Commissioners directed staff to look into the issue and conduct an informal financial analysis of expanding the cemetery.
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