Post Falls to expand cemetery

POST FALLS - Post Falls is in expansion mode with Evergreen Cemetery.

And part of what's fueling the need to grow is an increase in interest from folks in the Spokane area as Post Falls' lot rates are less than half the cost of those across the border.

Post Falls officials say that means there has to be a delicate balance with prices.

"We have to take care of the people we have here," said Kevin Palmer, cemetery sexton. "And, not that we don't want to serve others, we don't want to get eaten up by those from outside (Post Falls)."

Post Falls lot rates, which range from $600 to $900, are proposed to increase $150 to $200 each on Oct. 1.

Lots in the seven community-owned Spokane-area cemeteries operated by the Fairmount Holdings nonprofit range from $1,815 to $4,742.

Palmer said that, while the city doesn't have firm numbers on the amount of increase from residents outside Post Falls, it has been enough to take notice and to start planning to expand to the 9 acres the city owns just south of the cemetery and north of Poleline.

Dave Fair, Post Falls parks and recreation director, said Post Falls used to have non-resident lot fees, but scrapped that due to difficulties in determining what constituted being a "resident."

"It's not something you can easily regulate," Fair said.

Fair said the cemetery is there to be used by the public and, as long as the site is self-sufficient, that's the main priority. The cost increase proposal is due to the need to expand in the near future.

"We don't want to be so far under the market and ultimately we have to offset long-term and operational costs with sales," Fair said. "It's a balancing act."

It's not a crisis situation, however, Fair said.

"If it was, we'd be having fee adjustments mid-stream (during the fiscal year)," he said. "We've just seen an increase in people shopping around more and more. We're watching the trends."

The cost for lots at Forest and Riverview cemeteries in Coeur d'Alene is $800 and $530 at Pinegrove Cemetery in Rathdrum. City officials in those cities said they haven't seen a noticeable increase in Spokane-area residents buying lots in their cemeteries and there are no immediate plans to increase their costs as they both jumped a few years ago.

"I'm sure there's some crossover, but nothing that shows up on our radar screen as being significant," said Doug Eastwood, Coeur d'Alene parks director. "We're at the high end of the market (as far as prices) in North Idaho, but significantly lower than Washington."

City officials said they believe the price differential may be due to the Spokane area having more people and less space and having seven cemeteries under the same umbrella.

Neither Coeur d'Alene nor Rathdrum are in expansion mode with their cemeteries like Post Falls.

Post Falls estimates its current 11-acre cemetery site will be filled up in four years as there are about 425 lots left, but the time to plan is now, Palmer said.

"It will take two to three years to develop the property and remove the trees," he said. "It's not an overnight process."

The first step will be surveying the property, which is requested in the upcoming city budget.