Gareth Manning, Sunday Gleaner Reporter

Dr. Andrew Wheatley, Mayor of Spanish Town. - File

Local government officials in St. Thomas, Clarendon, St. Catherine, Manchester, are busily seeking additional space to provide more burial plots for the increasing number of people being buried in public cemeteries.

There are over 5,000 registered deaths between these parishes every year, according to the latest demographic data. A majority of these deceased persons are buried in public cemeteries, simply because they are far cheaper than those privately owned.

Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner last week, chairman of the St. Catherine Parish Council, Mayor Andrew Wheatley, said the parish council was actively seeking land to provide more space for the dead. The council operates a number of cemeteries in the parish, including the Church Pen, Linstead and Ewarton cemeteries and another in the parish capital, Spanish Town. The No. 5 cemetery in Spanish Town has been closed for a number of years because it is full.

"There is an urgent need for us to seek additional land," Mayor Wheatley said. "We are currently in dialogue with the Ministry of Lands to get some additional land," he continued. He noted that land had been earmarked for the Church Pen Cemetery, but a design needs to be agreed on for its expansion. But land is yet to be identified for the expansion of the Ewarton Cemetery.

moving full speed ahead

"We had earmarked some land in the Heartland area and we were moving full speed ahead to get that, but after we did our investigations and some analysis we saw that the water table was too high in those areas, so we have to look for alternative land," reported Mayor Wheatley.

The council is also looking to institute a new burial mechanism so the land space can be utilised more effectively. The mayor said plans are in place to use a double- or triple-vault system, as is being utilised in some private cemeteries.

In St. Thomas, the problem of overcrowding is somewhat unique. It is being exacerbated by a drive by the parish council to crack down on back-yard burials. As a result, the three cemeteries, Middleton, Red Hills in Morant Bay and Lloyds in Yallahs are all full.

"We are looking for somewhere for a cemetery. The one at Red Hills is practically filled and the ones in Lloyds and Middleton, have maybe one and a half years left," said Mayor Joan Spencer. "We are really running out of space," she told The Sunday Gleaner.

The parish has grown by some 6,500 residents over the last 10 years and is averaging 598 deaths per year.

In Clarendon, one of the fastest-growing parishes, the situation is similar, with back-yard burials being popular. But Mayor Milton Brown says without any action by the council, this tradition has been declining and more people are choosing to bury their loved ones in public cemeteries as opposed to family plots, though the tradition is still popular.

The parish's main burial site, the 60-acre Denbigh Cemetery in May Pen, only has three years of life left. "We are actively trying to identify another relocation for a cemetery," Mayor Brown disclosed. He says once the land has been earmarked, the council will aim to build a more aesthetically pleasing and effective cemetery for the parish. "We have had discussions with the council and with the funeral houses in the town to partner with them in the establishment of this venture," he said.

problems

The council is currently looking in the Sevens Road area and in Vere for land to establish this project. But there are other problems besetting the Denbigh Cemetery, Mayor Brown explained. Not only is it running out of space, but the conditions there are poor. The cemetery's chapel is in need of repair, while the bathrooms and the caretaker's quarters need refurbishing.

"There has been some damage to the cemetery since 'Ivan' and we have not been able to restore the facilities," he said. "It might not be the worst (cemetery), but we are far from pleased."

The parish of Manchester is not to be excluded from those now actively seeking more land to rest the dead. According to former politician and funeral home director, Calvin Lyn, the parish's public cemeteries are full, and while there is an active search for land, this is bogged down by red tape in the parish council.

"When you apply you are going to get objection," he remarked.

But deputy mayor for the parish Sally Porteous, pointed out that the problem no longer exists. Land has been purchased for a new cemetery and more burial plots are already being created.

"We ran out of space the other day, but we have another area that Windalco has allocated to us which is up and running,"she added.