Whether Wildwood should expand the city-owned Greenwood Cemetery or get out of the cemetery business became an issue Monday night when an expansion proposal was presented to city commissioners.
Max Stumborg, chairman of the Greenwood Cemetery Board, asked the commission to move quickly and buy family-owned property that would nearly double the cemetery’s size when combined with a smaller city-owned parcel. The cemetery is along Clyde Street, about two blocks east of U.S. 301 and about three blocks north of County Road 466A.
“The challenge we have with the cemetery is space,” Stumborg said. “This property is ideal for the simple reason that it may not become available again.”
He said the Jones family is asking $50,000 for the property and, if the city doesn’t buy it, it could fetch a higher price in the real estate market.
Five daughters want to sell the land. Their mother, who recently had her 102nd birthday, is in a nursing home, he said. The family has asked for 60 days to retrieve pictures and other memorabilia before a 93-year-old house on the property is torn down.
But city officials were not ready to fast-track the purchase.
“I appreciate the offer you brought to us, but we cannot act on this tonight,” said Mayor Ed Wolf. “What we can do is take it under advisement and we wouldn’t expect you to hold it. We didn’t budget anything for purchase of property for the cemetery.”
City Administrator Jason McHugh said the process of purchasing the land is complicated.
“I think it would be wise for the commission to decide whether it wants to expand the cemetery,” he said.
Expansion could make the cemetery more attractive to a private company that could take it over.
But McHugh said it must be determined whether the land would be suitable for a cemetery. An appraisal of the property would take four to six weeks, he said.
Wolf said younger people don’t have as much interest in cemeteries as older generations.
“They don’t get a lot of satisfaction standing on a grave,” he said.
“But people are still dying,” Stumborg responded.
