Group looking to pass cemetery responsibilities to Town of St. Paul

ST. PAUL - Located along 57th Street, on the west end of St. Paul, not far from the St. Paul Golf Course, is a 100-year-old cemetery. 

Established in 1922, Union Cemetery is made up of about 700 plots. Grave markers include names of families who have lived in the area for generations.

At one point, representation from each of the many denominations of churches in the community were involved in caring for the cemetery. 

But, "little by little everybody started dropping off," explained John Yewchin, during a delegation with Town of St. Paul council on Jan. 24. Yewchin has been involved with the operations of the cemetery for about four decades.

Last Monday evening, Yewchin, along with Martin Naundorf, Elizabeth Pundick, and Christine Ostapiw, spoke with Town of St. Paul council about the cemetery, noting that a new cemetery will be needed very soon in the community.

Knowing that there is a limited number of plots left at Union Cemetery, Yewchin and those involved are asking the Town to consider developing a new cemetery, while also taking over ownership of the current cemetery.

Yewchin and Naundorf are both wanting to step back from caring for the cemetery, and are hoping the Town will step in to fill the void. Yewchin said the goal is to work with the Town, and while he plans to scale back his involvement, Yewchin said he would be willing to be part of a committee to offer his knowledge and experience.

He explained that the cemetery is down to about 20 double plots left. And based on past experience, the number of plots should be good for another year or two, but that was just an estimate.

"I think the urgency and the time is now," said Yewchin. Ideally, he would like to see the Town create more than just a cemetery, but a place that people would want to go visit. Something that would look more like a park. 

The group involved in caring for the cemetery is also in the process of creating an updated master map, showing each of the plots, making the potential transition to the Town even easier. 

When asked about past bylaws or documents that might exist for Union Cemetery, it was noted that the cemetery is actually the property of a group called "Union Cemetery Society," which no longer exists. Because of this, for someone other than a municipality to take over the cemetery, it would likely require a court order.

But, the steps are much more straightforward if a municipality steps up to the plate.

Town of St. Paul CAO Steven Jeffery asked how much land a new cemetery would require, to which Yewchin said he would like to see something that is between six and seven acres in size. He noted that the entire parcel of land would not have to be developed right away, but putting the extra land aside would allow for future expansion. Union Cemetery, which was served the community for a century, is about two acres in size.

As discussions came to a close, Jeffery said the first focus would be on the takeover of Union Cemetery. Then, planning could progress with the Area Structure Plan that is being done.