Lakeland's Cemetery Stewards Try to Keep Up with Burial Demands

Lakeland Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Pam Page told city commissioners last week that the largest city-run cemetery actually has a lifespan.

“Oak Hill Cemetery has 35 years left of lot sales at the current rate of sale, which is an average of 500 spaces per year,” Page said.

Why it matters: If Oak Hill runs out of burial plots, those making final arrangements might need to turn to a private cemetery. Lakeland could buy more land, but city leaders are not sure they want to stay in the cemetery business.

The context: The city operates six cemeteries at two locations.

The oldest are the Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers cemeteries at Ingraham Avenue and Parker Street. They date back to 1886. Spaces there have been sold out for many years.
The 200-acre Oak Hill Burial Park on U.S. Highway 98 S. was dedicated in 1926. It includes the Oak Hill, Laurel Hill and Temple Emanuel cemeteries and still has plots — but they’re running out.

Changing trends: Page noted that funeral trends are changing, with people increasingly opting for cremation and having their ashes handled in ways other than burial. People can have their ashes:

Placed in benches.
Placed in a columbarium, which is a structure with niches for urns.
Scattered in a “scattering garden.”

In addition, a new trend involves “green burial,” with a body placed in a biodegradable basket or even just a shroud and put into the ground to be absorbed back into nature. She called it an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional burial, which includes embalming.

Possible changes at Oak Hill: Page said people often ask for an onsite open-air chapel to aid services at Oak Hill. Some have asked for a pet cemetery.

People also want to be able to see three-dimensional views of relatives’ or friends’ grave markers online. That ability could help in genealogy searches. Page said her department is exploring grant opportunities for a Google Maps-style survey and an onsite, interactive kiosk to help people locate a specific grave in the cemetery.

The big picture: “Now the ultimate question for the future is do we want to be in the cemetery business 35 years from now? Because … if we do, we have to acquire some land,” she concluded.