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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 18, 2009 - 7 As town grows, so too does its cemeteries By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville is growing and so too are its cemeteries. Town staff recently announced the approval of a new Cemetery Strategic Plan that will see more space added to St. Jude's and Oakville Trafalgar Lawn cemeteries to permit more interments of caskets and cremated remains. Director of Parks and Open Spaces Chris Mark noted the project is an important one as cemeteries are not only a place to put the deceased, but rather help to tell the story of local history and commemorate the lives of people connected to the Oakville area. "Cemeteries are an important cultural resource, having both natural and local significance," said Mark. "Our strategic plan ensures current and future cemetery needs are met while maintaining the dignity and sanctity of the existing cemeteries in perpetuity." Mark noted the strategic plan will see new graves added within St. Jude's Cemetery this year and new graves added to Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery over the next few years. To accomplish this, the conceptual plan proposes to close a portion of the two roads within St. Jude's to free up space. The plan also calls for the removal of the existing office building at St. Jude's to make room for cremated remains options. For Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery, the plan proposes to close one road and utilize currently underdeveloped areas within the cemetery so more graves can be put in place. The Town will also be developing a six-acre parcel of land, located to the north of Trafalgar Lawn, to expand the cemetery. News that St. Jude's and Oakville Trafalgar Lawn cemeteries are expanding the number of graves they accommodate was well received by many as there is currently a waiting list to purchase graves in the new areas. However, one Oakville resident is hoping the Town will focus less on the new graves and more on the ones that already exist. Local history buff Terry Whelan has been watching The Town has previously defended the over Oakville's cemeteries use of heavy equipment in cemeteries as for the last several years necessary due to the conditions. and has noticed an almost It has also pointed out that some of the steady decline in the historical graves. He says many are toppled during the winter by snowplows that clear the cemetery roads. "They never put down snow flags (to mark the edges of the road)," said Whelan. Whelan also criticized the Town for the use of heavy equipment, such as backhoes, in its cemeteries; something he said inevitably leads to the irreversible destruction of Oakville's historic graves. "When this big tree fell (last month) they went in there and they logged it out like they were logging in a farmer's field or something," said Whelan. "They drove over top of a bunch of laid down graves with bulldozers and trucks. There was four inches of snow on the ground, so we won't know how much damage was done until the snow melts. Sometimes damaging graves is unavoidable, but they don't even seem to consider it. " equipment it has purchased is smaller than the conventional backhoe, which allows its operation to have less of an impact on the cemeteries. 70 Entire % Off The Rack Jackets On Sale Regular $ 545 ONE DAY ONLY! Sunday, February 22nd Now $ 99 D O W N TO W N O A K V I L L E 905-337-3155