BATTLEFORD — The council of the Town of Battleford passed a bylaw amendment at their April 10 meeting that will see changes to the town cemetery’s regulations that include updating marker sizes for different grave sizes and updated requirements, including the material of the markers and the addition of a concrete base.
Administration suggested the amendments following a recently conducted review of the monuments and markers section of the bylaw. The review, comparing regulations between Battlefords and other communities, found that Battleford’s marker sizes are smaller than average.
“Increasing the allowable limits of the markers should not create any additional problems ... for maintenance of the graves,” reads the report from Jordan Schechtel, the manager for the Parks and Recreation Department.
The town worried that the smaller sizes would lead to difficulties, including inscriptions on the headers or incorporation of flower vases.
“... in the new section, they’re all level with the ground, correct, and that’s still allowed?” Councillor David George asked, to which Schechtel said yes.
The cemetery bylaw had not been substantially amended since its creation in 1990 and now has several additional regulations that the town feels will better serve residents of Battleford who want more options, outlined more clearly, for grave markers.
The town conducted all three readings of the bylaw before passing it.
