Grand Cayman (GIS): Over the weekend, Ministers, MLA’s, Department of Environmental Health (DEH) management and staff, along with other distinguished guests, gathered for the ground-breaking of a 5.7-acre cemetery in West Bay.

The new cemetery, St. Mary’s Garden of Rest, comes at a time when pressure on burial spaces is increasing in the Cayman Islands, as in other parts of the world.

“This new site will help to resolve demand in our community for more burial land. Design layouts under consideration facilitate a cemetery lifespan of about 80 years and a total of 5,542 vaults,” explains DEH Director Mr. Richard Simms.

Mr. Simms adds, “With other cemeteries in the country starting to lack capacity, this new facility will provide families and the community with peace of mind. This new site is a serene and appropriate place where Caymanians and residents can lay loved ones to rest.”

At the ceremony, Minister for Health, Environment, Culture and Housing, Hon. Dwayne Seymour addressed the attendees and noted: “Cemeteries are a place of peace and remembrance. They are, by their very nature, places of quiet reminiscence and reflection but also a place where we often consider our future. It is my solemn privilege to be here today to see the hard-work by all those involved come to fruition.”

DEH’s goal is to have 25 – 30 vaults constructed by mid-October.