[Heritage] Cemeteries commission, cemetery futures conversation July 25 in Newport

[INFO Heritage * OPRD]

The Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries will meet at 9 a.m. July 25 at the Hallmark Inn, 744 SW Elizabeth St., Newport. Agenda items will include grant reports, current projects and upcoming plans. The commission will invite public comments.

On the same day at 1 p.m. the Commission invites you to join it and the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board (OMCB) for a community planning session on an important topic:  The Future of Cemeteries in Oregon.

Both boards have noticed a trend of the increasing difficulty of getting new volunteers to continue non-profit and rural cemeteries--whether a non-operating historic cemetery, or a small operating one.  With the high cremation rates in the Northwest, even for-profit operating cemeteries are concerned about increasing operating costs for ongoing maintenance without the same level of new burials and revenue coming in as before.

"We want to compare notes on these trends and any others identified by the community," said Kuri Gill, coordinator of the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries.  "We will also discuss the role-if any-the public sector should have in addressing these trends, or, simply in helping if and when a particular cemetery becomes abandoned."
Melisa McDonald, Metro's manager of cemetery services, will facilitate this special session.

If you want to attend the planning session, phone or email Carla Knapp as soon as possible. She can be contacted at 971.673.1507 or Carla.Knapp at state.or.us. The OMCB will hold its regular meeting beginning at 1 p.m. July 24 in Newport.

State law established the seven-member Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries to maintain a listing of all historic cemeteries and gravesites in Oregon; promote public education on the significance of historic cemeteries; and obtain financial and technical assistance for restoring, improving and maintaining their appearances. More information about commission activities, the meeting and the planning session may be obtained from Gill at 503-986-0685 or by e-mail: Kuri.Gill at oregon.gov .
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/heritage/attachments/20140710/8cbb2145/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 92 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/heritage/attachments/20140710/8cbb2145/attachment.gif>