The Lord's Ridge Cemetery is one of three cemeteries in the City's history and has been around from the late 1800's. But now the already over populated burial site is said to have limited burial spaces left - to be exact - only 12. It might sound alarming for those of you who are wondering - where will your loved ones be put to rest?
But according to the City Council they are working on a new plan to relocate the Cemetery a ways up the Western Highway. Monica Bodden has the details.
Monica Bodden, Reporting
The Lord Ridge Cemetery is where many city residents have interred their loved ones. The graveyard has been in used for one hundred and twenty four years. But the Cemetery has run out of burial spaces - in fact figures show there are only 12 more available.
Deon Leslie - Councilor, Belize City Council
"The last figures we have gotten is that the cemetery only has 12 more spaces available. We know that if we try hard enough with Mr. Neil and the crew that works with the cemetery will be able to find more than 12 but that's just the worst case scenario number that we are working with right now. Over the past year we have invested close to over two hundred thousand dollars in filling additional spaces and we are at capacity right now and with all the engineers and the technical people, they are saying it does not make any sense to continue filling."
And so, there will be a new resting place for your loved ones - since the Cemetery will be moving to Mile 13 on the Western highway.
Deon Leslie - Councilor, Belize City Council
"We looked all over the City from 5 miles on both Highways coming down, with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Natural Resources and we could not find anything suitable enough, that's why we had to move to mile 13 and they found the best suitable land at mile 13 and that's where we are planning to move the cemetery up that side now."
According to Leslie, their plan is to make the new graveyard a first class Cemetery for Belize City Residents.
Deon Leslie - Councilor, Belize City Council
"The Ministry of Natural Resources are working on a plan, basically a drawing, a setup of how it will be done because of how they are approaching it, it's going to be like similar to a community development. We want to approach it that same way and as the Deputy has said, we want it to make it a first class cemetery for Belizean residents, so we are looking at. We don't have a final set time but we have everything in place at this moment I believe. There is the Acting City Admin and people from the Ministry of Work at the site going over to see what we have to do to start within probably the next week just to get the project started."
Thousand dollars will be the initial funding to jump start the new cemetery.
Phillip Willoughby - Acting Mayor
"60 thousand dollars was procured through the various government ministries who were a part of the meeting in the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Finance, Local Government and the Belize City Council. 50 Thousand dollars will be the initial founding to start the project to kick off the new cemetery, in addition to that what was also discuss at the meeting was as you can see to the most northern point here at the Lord Ridge Cemetery, the height of the cemetery is much higher than the streets and the yards, over to the extreme right, so a remedial wall or fence will be looked at by the Ministry of Works and that will come into play."
According to Willoughby - the Belize City Council along with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Works will be addressing the concerns of residents in the Lord Ridge Cemetery Area - along with all other remedial works that need to be done.
There isn't any final date as to when the new Cemetery will be opened. - Many might be wondering -in the meantime - where will your loved ones be interred?
Deon Leslie - Councilor, Belize City Council
"We were just using 12 spaces as a worst case scenario, something to just getting us pushing behind but, they are maybe more than 12 spaces and with the people that work here they have been working miracles for the past months and they will be able to find spaces I don't think we will run into an immediate problem."
Works on the new cemetery are expected to start as early as the next two weeks....
