Government spends $600k on new cemetery
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has purchased two parcels of land in Bodden Town for CI$600,000 and applied to the Central Planning Authority for planning consent to develop the property as a cemetery to address the shortage of burial plots in the district. The property, which totals just over four and a half acres, is located on Bodden Town Road near Lake Destiny Drive (Block 43D and Parcels 8 & 75) and includes 0.8 acres on the ocean front and 3.75 acres on the land side. The plans are to construct 16 vaults immediately in the first phase on the landside, with a potential to develop up to 924 vaults on the acquired land in three phases.
Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly, who has responsibility for Lands, said that acquiring this land was a step towards addressing the concerns of the people in Bodden Town who want to be buried near family members who are already buried in the existing cemetery.
“The last thing we need our people to deal with when they are grieving is where they are going to bury family members. It has taken some time to get to this point, but I am happy that we have found a solution," she said.
Dwayne Seymour, the recently appointed cabinet minister in the minority government who is running for office on the PNA ticket, said he was pleased that government was “able to get the funding for such a worthy project, especially in these hard financial times.”
Using the opportunity to take a dig at the previous PPM administration and engage in a little electioneering, the minister added that it had been required for a long time but the and former elected members did not think it was a priority, even after being warned about the lack of space at the site. “I am happy to be one of the representatives who saw it necessary to get this done for the people of Bodden Town so their loved ones don't have to be buried in Prospect.”
Mark Scotland, who is also hoping to be returned to the district, echoed his fellow PNA running mate’s sentiments. “What we have done by acquiring this site is to ensure that we continue to provide affordable burial plots for residents in Bodden Town. This is something we have said we were going to do and we have. We wanted to try and do it on existing government land but we weren’t able to achieve that," he added.
Despite government’s extremely tight budget, the PNA cabinet was able to find the significant sum at the eleventh hour before the 22 May election. However, with no sign of a law to allow cremation in Cayman, which could cut costs for all, the issue of burying the deadwill continue to be a pressing and expensive issue for any future government at a time when it needs to cut spending.
See proposed plans for the cemetery below.
Vote in the CNS poll: Should government continue to buy land for cemeteries or build a crematorium?
Category: Local News
Come on my fellow Caymanians we are a great seafaring nation so can’t we have more burials at sea.
Unless cremation is implemented in Cayman, the entire place will be a cemetery. The population will slowly increase year by year, as people die the land will become more scarce as more burial plots are needed. The choice should be made available to the population, as it is at the end of the day a matter of choice, not a matter of being un Christian.Cremation should be made available as both an environmental benefit and as a choice option for people . But in the meantime, just keep buying land as that is slowly running short.
well said but….. won't get anywhere against the caymankind 'head in the sand' mentality …(literally)
Why are we purchasing beach front property for a cemetery! We couldn’t find a more economical parcel? Didn’t we learn from Ivan that the best place to put a cemetery on the beach! NOT!
This same piece of land was sought after from the days of Roy Bodden but the owner wouldn't sell. I don't think it has a thing to do with buying votes or that the owner is a UDP supporter despite what some people are saying on here.
People get your heads of the ground. We Caymanians complain about everything including even where we put the dead.
Do I get leasehold or free hold lot? Just wondering.
Sorry. $600,000 would go a long way with hungry children lunches. This vote buying to bury soon-come dead is wrong. Do not but your future plot, instead plan for the children!
Just wondering how many years can I lease a spot for? 10,25,50,100yrs. Or do I get to keep my spot for death?
I completely agree with Mr. Peter’s comments below…
Mr. Charles Clifford has this item in his manifesto which went into circulation over 3 weeks ago. Markie and John John is that what prompted you to do this at the11th hour ? LOL.
Chuckie could have bought the same piece of land when he was there. What happened? What does it matter if Chuckie or Mark bought it ..It doesn't belong to them , it belongs to the people of the Cayman Islands and in aprticualr the people of Bodden Town who will no at least have a place to bury their dead..
Politics as usual..I say!
How much negotiation did they have over the price? Or did they just pay the asking price (like what MAc did in West Bay at junction of Northwest Point Road)?
You would at least think it would be in the dead centre of Bodden Town
I wonder if the land owners were made aware that the land in between two residential properties was being considered for this cemetery? How could goverment at this day, claim that they are short of funds have this as the top thing on the "to do list". The 2 peice of land is owned by the same person. It does seem like some politic favor that the land was bought, and at that price it sure was done fast and quite. This is a disgrace that the people living on either side was not consulted by the Bodden Town Reps that knew about this deal. I am asking again how is is possible that the Goverment is able to have this Land, suitated right between 2 populated residential properties considered for rezone Of course it is not a big deal, but of all the various land availible, is this the only land availible and was it necessary to do this deal behind closed doors? There is a big Vacant land suitated right across from the Woods residents in Bodden Town by the smaller Woods cemetery that would be ideal. In fact the land in between the Woods property, located right next to the small cemetery should be cheaper and has a lot of open space for future expansion. The point being made is that this deal has no consideration for the purpose of using this land to rezone as a cementery, but only to benifit the persons involved. If the goverment was interested to do cementery they would have investigated and located a site that expansion or under populated areas for consideration.
Yes there is a house in the bushes beside the land purchased…and one across the street HOWEVER the home currently being remodeled right next to the land is no longer residential….This is NOT the first time government has purchased land on this island….The People of Bodden Town were having to be buried in Prospect East End and Savannah….If they want to be laid to rest in Bodden Town Then You All Should Leave Them Hell Alone and If it Was a Certain Political party that made theis Possible Maybe You Should Thank Them But I assum Your Not from Bodden Town….MOST cemetaries in Cayman are Beach Front Maybe We should dig up all the WEST BAYERS occupying the good beach land across from Kirks and Fire Station while we're at it….Make them use the beach land for us thats the only how we going get it when we DEAD….Why You Complaining? Were You Planning to buy the land?! It was FOR SALE at the end of the day someone would of bought it….Im Happy For Once The Government Is Spending On Its People DEAD or ALIVE!!!!!!!
So the little land mass that was set for commercial zone in Bodden Town has now become the dead spot. Way to go politicians. Ask the people to go to Bodden Town to do some business then in the middle of it all, put a grave yard, So much for future development in that area. Maybe the guys at COX know somthing before and was not sure, so I guess each time they wanted to proceed with there project they always delayed for one reason or the other. In the mean time the smaller cemetery just a few steps up the road could have been leased or used since its not over crowded as yet. This would be like the dump, move it from George town to start the same problem all over again. When are we going to get people thinking in advance for any such projects for expansion purpose or for zoning properly for future development? And what has gotten your panties all knot up over this project? The dump is the best thing as well to be placed in Bodden Town. (Yeah Right, and I have some beach front property on west bay road for sale). There is sure a lot of wood in all this land being bought for various purpose. Soon all the wood be gone and we be left with trees.
Maybe somebody should ask the Woods Family if they would like a huge public cemetary acroos the road from them..Somehow I don't think so..It has to go in somebody's backyard though..where it will now located are more rental home than family residences so I think it is the better place.
Bodden Towners are dying to get in there.
idiotic waste of land and money……..
Another productive asset purchased by cig! Value for money for sure. BT, this piece of land smells like vote buying!
Are the deceased still on the elector list or have they been removed? If they haven’t, it looks like PNA is looking to get those votes.
This is exactly what i mean… even the last resting place of the dead are being disregarded…Vote buying!!
What the f….k is wrong with you people? is there anything your representitive do that you wont cast that shadow on him or her. damn if you do, and damn if you dont…
I can see the mature-life experience expats, taking this country over in the very near future…we are so narrow minded….."the fishing village mentality"
With all due respect to the Caymanian people isnt it about time that we looked into Cremation I know it is a personal thing and I am fully respectful of other peoples wishes when they have passed on but it seems to me that this will happen at some point in time and I for one have asked my kids for that form of burial.Its all a matter of personal choice.
21.42- great idea however enough people "disappear" here without giving any criminals involved in such an easier way ofgetting away with it..
Really?? Thats your objection?? That criminals will use creamation to get rid of people?? Cremation is done with very specialized equipment under very controlled conditions..I doubt very seriously if Bodden's or Churchill's will let just anybody come in and fire up the crematorium in the dead of night..honestly, the things some people come up with…
Yeah? And they would be there 24 hours a day 365 days a year would they? Muppet. Some things people come up with!
muppet?? Is that the BEST you can come up with?? Are you trying to impy that someone could figuratively break into a funeral home in the wee hours without setting off the alarm..fire up a crematorium, and get rid of a body, not raise any kind of suspicion, leave no physical evidence and get away clean without a trace? or are you trying to imply that the proprietors of the local funeral homes are so corrupt that someone could presumably pay them to lllicitely cremate a murder victim so as to cover up the evidence of a crime?? THAT's your reasoning behind objecting to cremation?? Now who's the muppet??
Seriously? Talk about vote buying big-time. There is no way that oceanfront land should be bought in this day and age with our money.
I would like to know who owned the land and how long does he/she know the responsible official who made the deal.
Go to Lands and Survey and look it up, you lazy rass! It used to belong to an elderly Caymanian.I seriously doubt she can effect the outcome of the Bodden Town election..
Probably bought from a supporter of the UDP/PNA. Never worry, that won't help you guys this time around. You are history!
now they spending the money on the dead.
these XXXX can find everything to spend the money on except the children.
Duane's a joke. I bet the land was purchased from a UDP supporter. That's the way we do things in Cayman. When is someone going to have the guts in Cayman to come up with the crematorium idea and when is Government going to have the courage to say that it is a viable way of disposing of the dead? Not while we have religious zealots like JOCCO in power.
In 4 years of office, Duane's biggest moment is buying a piece of land in BT.
What an accomplishment……
Great news PNA!!!Bodden towners will love u for this 😉
They did this just after the PPM announced it was part of their plan for BT. Can these people have just one original idea?