The Village cemetery board meets at 2:00 p.m. on January 3 at Bluffton Town Hall.

By Andy Chappell-Dick

Maple Grove Cemetery may be the quietest place in Blufton, but it's also pretty crowded. Only about 65 plots remain. How is the Village planning for its future?

Awash in a sea of year-end financial legislation, Village Council took a few minutes at Monday's meeting to also talk about Maple Grove Cemetery. They voted to accept the resignation of sexton Bernie Ludwig, passed the first reading of a fee increase, and set a meeting of the Cemetery board to plan next steps.

Ms. Ludwig was in the gallery and gave a heartfelt thanks to the Village government for their strong support over her tenure of twenty years. Councilors and administrators gave her a standing ovation.  The cemetery board will consider applications for her replacement at their upcoming meeting.

The ordinance would raise the fee for burial to $600 from $500, and the fee for infant burial or interment to $400 from $300. 

"It's still not a moneymaking operation," Ms. Ludwig reminded the room.  "It's a community service."

It was Jon Kinn who reported that approximately 65 plots remain. He's the Fire Chief but also funeral director of Chiles-Laman funeral home  and serves on the cemetery board. The exact number may be higher because some plots purchased in groups long ago might no longer be needed by the family. A trend toward cremation is also relieving some of the pressure, he added.

In any case, once the cemetery is full, does the Village of Bluffton intend to stay in the burial business? Echoing what Ms. Ludwig said, Mayor Rich Johnson stated he expects it to continue, and is engaged in preliminary talks with Richland Township about expansion. Ultimately the matter will be decided by Council.