?The long term plan of the Council is to purchase private land up the road,? said Usher. ?The reality is,? he added ?that as early as 2007, Belizeans will have to start burying their dead up the road, between Belize City and Mile 6.?

In the meantime, the Council intends to continue its land reclamation project?an initiative that had also been carried out by the previous City Council?as a way to delay the inevitable move.

Usher also discussed some other short-term options, such as reusing prior graves of paupers, and using a single plot for two burials (the second being above ground). This may be a more viable option, instead of burying individuals side by side, he said.

Additional land had been designated for the cemetery?but the current availability of such land is now in question. Furthermore, Usher believes that squatters, the Belize Defense Force, and Mirab are currently on land that used to belong to the cemetery.

When Amandala spoke with Russell Neal, the cemetery?s caretaker for the past six years, he verified that approximately 150 gravesites are available for the remainder of this year. This land is primarily swampland, as is the land?now filled with sand and clay?that is currently being used.

The caretaker, along with gravediggers, had attended a meeting yesterday with the City Council, said Wayne Usher. At that meeting, the City Council became aware of further challenges to the effective management of the cemetery?specifically the working conditions of the employees. They did not have rubber boots, uniforms, masks, or water pumps, which are needed to perform their duties more effectively. Usher stated that, ?I intend to find money to purchase a water pump at least by the end of the month.?

A meeting is also scheduled with the undertakers of Belize.

As a part of the City Council?s initiative to improve administration of the cemetery, Usher intends to create a computerized system of all burial records; create and implement a standardized procedure for burials, and take over payments for all burials. In Usher?s words, ?right now the process is a free-for-all system.?