Residents in West Bay will soon have access to new burial spaces following the consecration of the St. Mary’s Garden of Rest Cemetery on Saturday.
The new resting place, located on Willie Farrington Drive, was formally blessed during a small ceremony hosted by House Speaker and West Bay West MLA McKeeva Bush.
Bush, in his address, said as the community continues to grow, so too has the demand for cemeteries.
He said for years there has been a challenge finding space for burial grounds, as people often objected to having a cemetery in their neighbourhood. Others also objected to using beach land as cemeteries, “if such land could be found”, he said.
The main West Bay Cemetery has no space for new vaults, he said, and spaces are only available if a family already has a plot.
“We did find a piece [of land] to extend the Boatswain Bay cemetery,” he said, but that is not sufficient.
The newly consecrated site was part of land that was obtained through negotiations with the Dart group, Bush said.
Environment and Health Minister Dwayne Seymour, who was present for the ceremony, said the new site provides “solutions” for the challenge of a growing population.
The total cemetery area is approximately 5.7 acres.
One acre of the site has been filled and grassed for immediate use.
The goal of the Department of Environmental Health is to have 20 to 25 vaults constructed by mid October.
“The option designs layout for the cemetery and assessment under the considerations would provide the longest cemetery life span of about eighty years with a total of 5,542 vaults. With other cemeteries in the country starting to lock capacity, it is important for families in our community to have this peace of mind,” Seymour said.
West Bay South MLA and Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers added that the relevant drainage will be put into site to ensure that the community in West Bay South “is not negatively impacted.”
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