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Cemetery director reports rising cremation rates, plans prairie burn and security upgrades
Summary
Waukesha's cemetery director reported 2025 services rose to 189 and cremation-related services increased to 58%. Staff plan a spring prairie burn with Midwest Prairies, added conduit for future cameras, and scheduled several CIP projects including tuckpointing and a veterans tribute garden target for Memorial Day.
Karen, the cemetery director, told the Waukesha Cemetery Commission on Feb. 9 that the cemetery's services rose to 189 in 2025 and that cremation-related services made up 58% of those, up from about 50% the prior year. "We are seeing the need for cremation options growing," she said, noting the U.S. average cited in the report is roughly 63%.
Karen said that 34% of property sales were for natural burial and that natural-burial services represent about 7% of overall services, signaling growing local interest in both cremation and green-burial options. "So we will need to do that this year," she said in reference to adding more cremation options in the boulevard.
On maintenance and capital work, Karen said the department plans a spring prairie burn for the sections planted as prairie and has contracted Midwest Prairies for the burn; the firm has submitted a permit application to the fire marshal. "They have the permit with conditions," she said, adding the exact burn date is weather-dependent. The director reported a Prairie Avenue wooden pole was replaced with a black metal pole and that a replacement on the West Avenue side is planned for spring; staff added a vacant second conduit at the replaced pole for future camera wiring.
The commission was briefed on planned CIP work this year, including exterior tuckpointing of the chapel building, an Autumn Garden roof replacement RFP to be issued, and Autumn Garden tuckpointing and caulking projects. Karen said the Section 8 Veteran Tribute Garden is expected to be complete by Memorial Day, weather permitting. The cemetery director also reminded commissioners about a Friends fundraising dinner on March 4 and a separate Friends's fundraising night at Taco John's on June 10.
Commissioners asked whether the Waukesha Fire Department had conducted prairie burns and whether wiring should be prepared ahead of camera installation. Karen said she believed the fire department had not done such burns recently and confirmed the second conduit is vacant and intended for the cameras.
The commission received the report for information and directed staff to proceed with the scheduled RFPs and coordination for planned projects. The next commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 13.
