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Commission weighs a $13.3 million cemetery improvement package and public preference for on-site services
Summary
Staff presented phase‑2 design and GMP options for Sunset and Sunrise cemeteries — including shop/office consolidation, road and stormwater repairs, and a phased columbarium — and commissioners and public commenters debated prioritization, historic preservation and whether to continue on‑site customer service.
City staff presented the proposed phase‑2 Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) package for Sunset and Sunrise cemeteries and asked the commission to decide whether the city should continue providing in‑person, on‑site services or transition to a more transactional, online model.
Parks staff and consultants described a consolidated Sunrise shop/office (to replace aging structures), road and stormwater repairs at Sunset, and two columbarium build‑out alternatives: a smaller 640‑niche option and a larger 2,500‑niche option. The staff GMP for full site improvements as presented was approximately $10,992,575; staff recommended adding the smaller 640‑niche alternate (about $1.3 million) and carrying design/inspection/change‑order contingencies to a total project estimate near $13.3 million.
Staff said Sunrise is used actively for sales, records research, scheduling and customer meetings; Parks staff reported roughly 40 site visitors per week on average and about three burials weekly. The proposed Sunrise facility would add an ADA‑accessible office entry, a private family conference room, a dedicated records research room and covered storage for maintenance equipment. Staff argued that consolidating shop space at Sunrise and retiring deteriorated structures would be more efficient than keeping multiple small buildings and would address structural and foundational problems at the current shop.
Commissioners, staff and public commenters discussed several priorities. Multiple residents and Historic Resources Board members supported locating any new columbarium away from Paisley Tower and urged the commission to start a nomination to the state and national historic registers — a step staff said could unlock preservation tax credits and grant programs. Several speakers pushed to prioritize road repairs at Sunset; commissioners likewise were surprised the large site‑infrastructure repairs appeared lower on the presented priority list and asked staff to consider smaller‑scope repairs and to return with phased options. Others pressed the city to consider homeowner and perpetual‑care fee adjustments and to evaluate whether co‑op or down‑payment assistance models would produce more durable affordability outcomes than some of the proposed capital work.
Cost and timing: staff gave a tentative schedule — finish design by August 2025, begin construction September 2025 and complete by July 2026 if the commission elects to proceed. Staff said that if the commission wants to finance the full build, a bond issuance could occur in 2028; the presentation included an illustrative 10‑year bond payment and noted the city’s overall debt posture and upcoming payoffs that could create capacity for new debt. Several commissioners said a final financing decision should wait for the upcoming budget process; one commissioner urged deferring large capital commitments until after budget adoption.
No final vote was taken. Commissioners directed staff to return with refined phasing and cost options, and requested staff provide the GMP expiration terms and a narrower package that would prioritize immediate roadway repairs and lower‑cost protection for equipment (for example, covered storage rather than a full new shop) while staff refines longer‑term proposals and grant opportunities related to historic preservation.
