2011-2012 Annual Report - Full Version - PDF - Palmerston North ...

Activity - CemeteriesWhat the Council doesThe Council provides three cemeteries (atKelvin Grove, Terrace End and Ashhurst) and acrematorium at Kelvin Grove.Why the Council does this and itscontribution to Council vision andmajor goalsThe Council provides this so that people who havelost loved ones can bury or cremate them in acontrolled and dignified manner.This Activity contributes indirectly to the Council’smajor goals.Under the Burials and Cremation Act Councils arerequired to provide cemeteries.The cemeteries and crematorium are generallyin good condition with enough capacity to meetfuture needs.What happened in the yearThere have been two recent initiatives in theKelvin Grove Cemetery over the last 12 months,both of a cultural nature. The first is the use of thenew hillside burial area which was developed inthe 2010/11 year. The creation of this new burialarea was largely driven by the Chinese community,who expressed a strong desire for an elevatedsite for burial. The second is the recent approvalof Council to create an extension of the Muslimburial area. The new burial plots will be created onan angle that more easily allows the body to faceMecca. The Muslim Association, on behalf of theircommunity, will pre-purchase a number of plotswhich they will use as required.The hard surface renewal programme continued tobe used to repair a number of roads and pathwayswithin the Kelvin Grove Cemetery which werefailing and, in the case of some of the pathways,were unsafe. The existing water supply withinthe older part of the cemetery was in very poorcondition and has been replaced. A new children’sash beam was installed during the year.The resource consent for discharge to air fromthe Kelvin Grove cremator was renewed in early2012. The existing cremator will meet the new,more stringent consent conditions, howeverretro-fitting of additional control and monitoringequipment to the cremator will be necessary nextyear to demonstrate compliance.The new wall fronting the Ashhurst Cemetery,completed as part of the Ashhurst Domainenhancements in the 2010/11 year, has made ahuge difference to the visibility and profile of thecemetery in the Ashhurst Domain. The cemeteryhas been extended and is still in use. The new wallreplaces an overgrown, unkempt hedge whichlooked untidy and gave the impression that thecemetery was abandoned and in disrepair.The Terrace End Cemetery had some more treesaround its edge removed which were damaginggraves. A new base plan of the cemetery has beencreated which will assist with future maintenanceplanning programmes.The hard surface renewalprogramme continued to be usedto repair a number of roads andpathways within the Kelvin GroveCemetery which were failing and, inthe case of some of the pathways,were unsafe.In 2012/13 investigations will begin to find a site fora Natural Burial Cemetery within the City and oncethe appropriate consents have been obtained thesite will be prepared for use. Funeral directors inPalmerston North have indicated that the demandfor a natural burial site is increasing. The ChineseAssociation will start work on the constructionof a gazebo/pagoda structure near the recentlydeveloped hillside burial area at Kelvin GroveCemetery which will be available for all sectors ofthe community to use.CommunitySupportWhat the Council Does CemeteriesPalmerston North City Council Annual Report 2011/1243