With cremation a popular way to dispose of loved ones, one particular columbarium at the Rosedale Cemetery will soon be labelled so cremated remains can be properly stored.
During its March 23 regular meeting, council voted unanimously to have the west columbarium at the cemetery labelled for $2,126.53, with the money to come from the outdoor columbarium reserve.
A columbarium is a structure with compartments called niches where funeral urns are stored. Columbaria interments involve placing an urn in a niche rather than a burial in the ground, a council report explained.
Moose Jaw has four outdoor columbaria at the Rosedale Cemetery. The north columbarium was installed in 2002, the south columbarium in 2009, and the east and west columbaria were installed last February. Before the niches can be sold, all six sides of the columbarium structure must be labelled with row numbers and column letters. This will be done with a sandblaster.
The north and south columbaria contain 128 niches, with 11 left to be sold. The east and west columbaria have 144 niches, with six sold so far.
The outdoor columbarium reserve has a balance of $24,293.24, the report said. The reserve is funded through niche sales, with $1,070 of every sale credited to the reserve for the future upkeep of the columbaria. Last year $12,010 was allocated to the reserve from sales.
The next regular council meeting is set for Monday, April 13.
