Longtime residents of Christiansburg know there's a history between the Town of Christiansburg and Sunset Cemetery.
A brief recap is that the cemetery was a private corporation which was in financial straits 20 years ago. Their board brought it back and strengthened all operational processes (including record keeping and key relationships with industry professionals throughout the region), while complying with the needs related to perpetual care costs. The board, however, was also aging and recognized the need to have a plan for after they themselves "moved in" Sunset.
Councilwoman Ann Carter made this pitch to the town repeatedly: "Take over this responsibility" using the argument that people had emotional ties to Sunset, and recognizing it was valuable as a community service and historical asset.
Not interested was the repeated response - until the Montgomery Museum board said "Well, someone needs to do it" and indicated if the town wouldn't take the job, they would. But they would need support from the town. It made sense because of the history and the records, with many people already visiting the nearby courthouse and museum researching family roots.
And the town finally said "Oh, okay" yet very deliberately excluded Councilwoman Carter, acting instead in a vacuum. The new committee (of just
two council members and no one from the community or related industry representatives) blundered in and changed the operating processes which probably changed the business model and costs. The path taken by the
new committee then began to start looking for ways to generate revenues, recreating the wheel, ruffling feathers,
upsetting citizens whose loved ones rested in Sunset, and suggested making the funeral directors become the town's
debt collectors. Another glaring absence is the historical aspect, especially considering the museum's community role and prior interest.
Then look at this model. "
On Saturday, October 31 at 1 pm, the Blacksburg Museum is sponsoring a guided tour through the Town cemetery with historian April Danner, who has researched the graves of many of the Town's early citizens. April's primary focus will be the graves of soldiers from the Civil War, as well as some of the earliest graves in the cemetery and the history of the site. The tour is free and open to the public." Now, to many people a cemetery is perhaps something associated with Halloween. To many others, it is a place for quiet reflection, a visit with family members or old friends, an open park-like environment, or place of history.
It is hoped the current committee starts working with stakeholders, and recognizes some of the changes (creating higher operating costs) resulted from their own design or recommendations. A better path would be tapping into the history, embracing the experience of those who managed this so well before them, have loved ones or ancestors at Sunset, and the funeral directors who interact with bereaved family members. Anything else remains a bit scary.