RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – A cemetery board in Rutland that’s faced mounting financial struggles now plans to cease all operations next month.
“Everybody in this area has people buried here, including myself,” said Rutland City Cemetery Commissioner Tom Giffin. “We put money into so many different things, you’d think you would want to preserve this history of Vermont and the people who made Vermont.”
For over 160 years, many have been laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery, including multiple state governors, U.S. representatives, and military veterans. But despite its historical significance, Giffin says they’re lacking income to maintain the cemetery due to a drop in the number of burials.
“What’s happening, the majority of people in Vermont are now being cremated, they are not being buried, and so that makes a big cost for cemeteries nationwide and certainly has an impact on Evergreen Cemetery,” Giffin said.
According to state statutes, after the dissolution of a cemetery association, the lands and plots may be transferred to the town it’s located in–in this case the city of Rutland–but Giffin stresses the city doesn’t have the ability to take on the extra expenses either and hopes for a different resolution.
“If something happens in the future, it certainly would be an expense to the taxpayers. It would be an expense to maintain it and if the association dissolves and nobody’s here, then each person would be responsible for their own plot and how to maintain it if they wish to do it,” Giffin said.
“People from all over the country have family at Evergreen, so that is their concern. And people that are local are willing to come in and trim their lot and maintain it somewhat,” said Evergreen Cemetery Superintendent Michael Cavacas.
Other local businesses involved in the funeral industry, such as funeral homes, have noticed increased costs, from cremation to insurance. “It’s not just the cost of the cemetery, it’s the cost all over. The burials everywhere are going up and cremation rate is going up and people aren’t burying like they have before in the past,” said Brent Garrow with Clifford Funeral Home. in Rutland.
“You can’t maintain a cemetery without the burials. Again, some cemeteries invested very wisely, they have nice trust funds, that kind of thing, but other ones are becoming historical sites and people aren’t using them anymore,” Giffin said.
Workers for the cemetery association plan to take care of plots and land through April 26, with the association set to dissolve later this summer.