Carrboro is facing a dilemma — the town is running out of municipal cemetery space. In a Carrboro Work Session on October 11, council members discussed how the town plans to meet their burial demand and cemetery improvements.
The Town of Carrboro manages two cemeteries — the Old Carrboro Cemetery and the Westwood Cemetery.
According to Capital Projects Manager Ben Schmadeke, there has been a demand for plots over the past 30 years, which has led to an increase in plot sales over the past 5 years. 20 percent of sold plots in Carrboro are currently unoccupied because cemetery plots often get sold in groups of families.
Schmadeke attributed this partially to Chapel Hill running out of their own burial space, further putting pressure on the demand for plot space in Carrboro.
The Old Carrboro Cemetery was established in 1910 and is located directly off of the Libba Cotton Greenway. Schmadeke said the cemetery includes 170 unobstructed plots. One way this cemetery is set apart from others is the use of Green Burials — which are more environmentally friendly, but take up more space than traditional burials.
“About half of the plots sold at the Old Carrboro Cemetery since 2018 were for Green Burials, and, just in general, are becoming an increasing trend,” Schmadeke said.
That leaves zero availability for burials at the Old Carrboro Cemetery.
Meanwhile, the Westwood Cemetery, located at the corner of Davie Road and Fidelity Street in Carrboro, only has 100 available plots in Zones 1 through 3.
Schmadeke said because of this, the Town of Carrboro is forecasted to sell out of space for plots by 2024.
Schmadeke said local cemetery options for the Carrboro community include the Judea Reform Congregation, Westwood Cemetery, Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery and Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.
There are also private cemeteries in Orange County which Schmadeke discussed, but high costs and lack of space also create limitations.
Schmadeke said in addition to the lack of space in the cemeteries, improvements to the cemeteries are necessary.
He proposed installing new fencing, refurbishing, tree replacement, adding benches and drainage improvements at the Old Carrboro Cemetery.
Schmadeke also asked the town council to consider continuing development of the Westwood Cemetery, which has a fourth zone that is unused.
He said development options for the space include adding walking paths, a reflection garden, benches, a columbarium for cremains and more space for burials.
Town Council members discussed Schmadeke’s proposals and shared their thoughts on whether to continue development of the Westwood Cemetery.
Town Council member Barbara Foushee said she disagreed with some of the proposals which could create unnecessary traffic to the sites. Foushee added she believes recreational amenities that align with the current use of the cemeteries would be preferred.
“When I think about a cemetery, I think about a quiet place for reflection — a place that is not busy unless there’s a graveside service, a burial, or oftentimes, as people coming back out to reflect at the sites where their loved ones are buried. And so when I think about that, I don’t see a part in a cemetery being compatible, but what I do see, if the council decides that expansion is what we want to do, I see an opportunity for integration for some of the things the neighbors may want,” Foushee said.
Council Member Eliazar Posada said he was conflicted about continuing expansion of Carrboro cemeteries.
“I don’t know that I want Carrboro to be in the burial business after this plot,” Posada said. “But at the same time, I see the affordability of the town being the one who does it. I’m looking at, for one — should for whatever reason, we decide not to Zone plot 4 for cemetery purposes, I definitely think if we don’t use Zone 4 for cemetery purposes then we use it for something much more needed — used for affordable housing.”
Council Member Randee Haven-O’Donnell added they don’t believe the plot issue is as simple as an immediate decision on whether to explore other parcels of property.
“100 plots are not going to last that long, and our population is only growing. There are people who not only have been here their whole lives, but people who are moving here intending to be here the rest of their lives and may want to have this service,” said Haven-O’Donnell. “I think the first thing is to really grapple with this question of, ‘Who is it that actually needs a municipal cemetery?’ Because we never really have talked about that.”
The council ultimately voted to continue plans to improve existing cemeteries, repair fences and add benches. The council did not determine plans to develop Zone 4 of Westwood Cemetery, although it plans to host another work session to discuss the issue.
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Cremation
I think we should bury our worthless :alderpeople” there.
“I tell ya, country clubs and cemeteries, the biggest wasters of prime real estate.”
Al Czervik