February 27, 2021 - 8:45 AM
KENAI, Alaska - Officials from the cities of Kenai and Soldotna said they will expand their cemeteries to accommodate more burials.
A lack of space in cemeteries in both cities have been a cause for concern in recent years, the Peninsula Clarion reported Thursday.
Officials from both cities have said they would like the projects to be done by the end of the year.
The expansion project at Soldotna's Community Memorial Park would add 386 plots.
Advanced reservations at the cemetery are in high demand, the newspaper reported. A total of 303 spaces are currently available.
The Kenai Municipal Cemetery had just 20 free cemetery plots as recently as 2018. The Kenai City Council approved a moratorium in 2017 that is still in effect that prevents the city from selling cemetery plots to bury people who are not yet dead.
The Kenai City Clerk said Wednesday that the city currently has 10 standard plots, 16 cremation plots and 90 columbarium niches available at the cemetery.
News from © The Associated Press, 2021