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COPPERTON, Utah (AP) — On Thursday, after more than four decades of selling plots and digging graves, a northern Utah school district is expected to hand off its cemetery to a newly-formed township.
The cemetery has been in the hands of the Jordan School District since the surrounding city was dissolved. State law required that the largest taxing entity take control of the cemetery, and at the time that was the school district.
The Jordan Board of Education recently gave the go-ahead for the Copperton Metro Township and the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District to take control of the Bingham City Cemetery. The Deseret News reported (http://bit.ly/2rdJb7Y) that members of the township council were expected to vote on the ownership agreement in the coming days.
"To have it return to its rightful owner, it's bittersweet, but it's much more sweet for the township and their community," said Paul Bergera, a Jordan School District administrator
Bergera, who was the cemetery's sexton for the past four years, said the school district has done a good job taking care of the premises, but it's time to hand it off to the township. He is one of six school district administrators who have worked as the cemetery's sexton.
The cemetery holds hundreds of graves, with some dating as far back as the 1870s.
Since 1972, the school district's employees have been responsible for handling the cemetery's operations and maintenance, according to a Jordan School District news release. The work included such things as digging graves, selling plots and keeping the grounds orderly.
"We have a lot of people in Copperton that are really excited to be part of the cemetery as far as committees to help keep the grounds clean and controlled," said Tessa Stitzer, a member of the Copperton Metro Township Council. "People in Copperton are still interested in reserving plots here. It's important."
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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
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