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Ribbon-cutting ceremony held for cemetery garden
YOUNGSTOWN
Officials from The Tod Homestead Cemetery had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new columbarium memorial garden Friday evening at the North Side landmark, 2200 Belmont Ave.
“This has been a huge undertaking,” said Sallie Tod Dutton, the president of The Tod Homestead Cemetery Association. “We want to remain a part of the Mahoning Valley’s future.”
Some $700,000 was invested in a 2-acre garden that will accommodate 960 spaces for cremation remains, an alternative to burials that has become an increasing trend. The projected rate of cremation is 48.8 percent by 2017, according to the Cremation Association of America.
“It’s a great effort to move the cemetery into the next century,” said David Tod II, Dutton’s cousin.
The memorial garden includes a fountain, landscaping, walkways and structures for the remains. It was designed by Youngstown architect Paul Ricciuti with support from Behnke Landscape Architecture, which is based in Cleveland. The contractor for the project was Marucci and Gaffney Excavating of Youngstown.
Ricciuti said there have been additional updates to the cemetery for contemporary use such as a new heating system for the mausoleum.
“We’ve been on a roll,” he said, adding that future expansion could occur with the garden.
The Tod cemetery has been in operation since 1908, when it was dedicated by George Tod, Dutton’s great-grandfather, in his will. The cemetery has 200 acres with 90 of those developed and has about 36,000 graves.
“I’m sure George Tod would be very proud of this development,” Tod II said.