As first reported in March, the Lords Ridge Cemetery in Belize City is quickly running out of space for new burials.
And while plans have been discussed for new types of burial services and the cemetery crew continues to scramble to find spaces here and there in the existing 21-acre plot, the ultimate aim of the Belize City Council was to find new space. The problem with that is that there are no suitable spaces available within Belize City limits.
This morning, Amandala and other media houses toured a 20-acre site located a half mile in from the Western Highway at Mile 13, the edge of the new village of Western Paradise.
The access road to the area was this morning washed out in places and reporters and public officials had to wade in with pants rolled up – but the Council, in conjunction with the Ministries of Works, Health and Natural Resources, who handled the land transaction through Acting Mayor Phillip Willoughby, promises a “world-class” planned cemetery at the site in the medium to long range term. (Councilor for Public Health, Wayne Usher, whose portfolio includes Lords Ridge, is ill in the hospital.)
First, though, they continue to contend with Lords Ridge, which has been given numerous reprieves since our first report. Today we noticed new graves built on the filled-in portion next to Partridge Street Extension showing signs of cracking. According to the Acting Mayor, the graves in question were not built by the Council’s workers, but they will nonetheless endeavour to fix them. The clay material used to fill in the area in the three to four months prior to March of this year, has not “settled in” enough to hold the graves together; nonetheless, a total of 429 persons have been buried on the site.
Area residents tell Amandala that because of the poor settlement, the area of Partridge Street Extension up to Vernon Street experiences noxious smells, and people have trouble getting in and out of their homes. A few residents came out in sight of the media cameras and implored the public officials to do something about it, and so the Ministry of Works will erect a retaining wall to block off the cemetery area.
The new cemetery site promises fewer headaches in terms of burial and settlement. According to Senior Public Health Officer and member of the team scouting for burial sites, John Bodden, the 20-acre property at Mile 13 is no less than 19 feet above sea level at its lowest point, and 24 feet at its highest, and is part of savannah forest areas where the soil is more compact and sturdy.
Karen Williams, principal planner for the Lands Department, Ministry of Natural Resources, says that the new cemetery will be planned just like a housing subdivision, and according to the Acting Mayor, it even will be subject to building codes laid out by the Central Building Authority.
And for those who might balk at the idea of traveling that far out of Belize City for a funeral, it has been suggested that a chapel be built at the site.
The reality, according to City Councilor for Public Relations, Dion Leslie, is that the Council had little choice considering the plots available within City limits, all swamp and providing little of the advantages of the Mile 13 plot. Councilor Leslie says that a nearby 20-acre plot is also being looked at to expand the potential site.
The access road to the cemetery site is expected to be fixed by the Ministry of Works and any remaining drainage issues sorted out before planning and surveying begin.
There is no timeline issued for the completion of the new cemetery, which is expected to last up to 40 years depending on the amount of deaths occurring, and no financial plan presented thus far.
Plans to introduce cremation, above-ground burials and mausoleums in Belize City are currently being reviewed by the Solicitor General’s Office.