LOWER LAKE — The Lower Lake Cemetery District is looking for ways to expand and beautify on its 25-acre resting grounds. Sexton/Manager Eric Pearson recently reported that the district”s board of directors is pursuing various options to make it happen.
The cemetery district was established in 1850. The 25-acre parcel rests on oak-studded grounds off of Lake Street. Some of those laid to rest there include early settlers, pioneers and causalities of the Spanish/American War.
“There”s a lot of history here and the people who come here to visit the graves of their relatives are so pleasant and nice,” Pearson said, adding that he really enjoyed meeting the descendents of those who traveled over Donner Pass. “This cemetery is so beautiful and tranquil and we want to keep it that way for years to come. We want to preserve the past while moving into the future.”
One of the biggest concerns faced by the district is accommodations for veterans. According to Pearson, the veterans” section, referred to the “Veterans” X,” is full. “We are looking to work with the veterans organizations of Lake County to get a grant to buy plots to give to the veterans,” he said.
Lower Lake Cemetery will be the final resting place of United States Marine Corps PFC Ivan Wilson, who was killed on Monday while on deployment in Afghanistan. Pearson said that he will be meeting with representatives of the Marine Corps as well as local military honors teams to ensure that burial procedures and accommodations for a traditional, full-honor military burial are satisfied. A service date has yet to be set.
Along with adding another veterans” memorial section, the district would also like to get started on its Sunset Knoll addition. The project consists of expansion on a couple of acres including beautification. Pearson said the district desperately needs to upgrade its irrigation system as well, which he said is quite costly.
The Lower Lake Cemetery District is a nonprofit organization. Donations made to the district are tax-deductible. Donations do not have to monetary, although money always helps. “There have been a lot of people who want to donate benches but, we already have a lot of benches throughout the cemetery,” Pearson said. “I suggest trees. We would be more than happy to plant a memorial tree for anyone who wants to donate one.”
Pearson said he would like to remind the public of the prepayment plans that are available. “We want to make aware that there are plots out here available to people in our district and we encourage that they purchase them now because prices go up every year.”
A basic plot fee at the cemetery is $1350. Pearson said through his research he has learned that plot costs in the Bay Area are $14,000 and higher. “When you think about it, it”s actually relatively cheap to be buried in Lower Lake but, as with anything, prices rise.”
The Lower Lake Cemetery District Board of Directors meets at 3:30 p.m. every third Wednesday of the month at the main office located on cemetery grounds. Any interested member of the public is welcome to attend.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
