Countywide : Meeting on Sale of Cemetery to Be Held

A town meeting is scheduled for tonight in Garden Grove to allow residents to discuss the proposed sale of the Magnolia Memorial Park, a six-acre public cemetery that was founded in 1874.

Some residents and civic groups have expressed concern that the deal, which would mark the first time in California history that a public cemetery has been sold to a private company, might disrupt the sanctity of the park’s 1,000 graves.

“There have been a number of people who have had some worries, and this is a chance for them to get a better picture of what’s going on,” said Sam Randall, general manager of the Orange County Cemetery District, which maintains the county’s public cemeteries.

Some residents, among them Charles Everett of Fullerton, bristled at news of the proposed sale and wondered if they were going to have any chance to protest.

“I have several generations of family there and (my relatives and I are) very uneasy about the plans,” Everett said. “If the sale in inevitable, we want to make sure there are protections in place for the park.”

Everett and others said they are worried that mausoleums, crematories or other developments might mar the cemetery at 12241 Magnolia St. in Garden Grove.

Magnolia Memorial Park, the smallest of the four sites controlled by the Cemetery District, costs $30,000 to maintain each year. The sale to the Omega Society of Santa Ana would relieve the cash-strapped district’s budget, Randall said.

During tonight’s meeting, Cemetery District officials will explain the sales agreement and discuss the safeguards the district has in place to protect the park’s future, Randall said. The proposal will go before the Board of Supervisors on March 1 for consideration.

The town meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Garden Grove Community Center, 11300 Stanford Ave. For more information, call the Orange County Cemetery District at (714) 951-9102.