City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Committee

**Cemetery Service Expansion** Director Nicole Oliver explained the cemetery faces significant space pressure, prompting both the addition of 350 new traditional gravesites and these new service offerings. Terramains represent an emerging "cottage industry" where human remains are composted into 15-25 bags of organic material, which can be scattered in a designated garden or interred in shallow graves. The pricing structure mirrors cremains interment workflows, with fees ranging from $700 for 1-6 bags to $2,200 for 19-25 bags. Memorial garden plots provide monument-only space without burial, addressing requests for commemorative options. The 90 available spaces are priced at $4 per square foot based on comparable single-urn grave pricing. **Commercial Use Permit System** The more complex policy discussion centered on the new commercial permit system addressing businesses…

**Council Member Hannah Stone** sought clarification on the per-person fee structure, asking whether conflicts could be managed by accommodating multiple small groups simultaneously in larger facilities. Staff explained the permits target groups using parks without reserving specific facilities. **Council Member Jace Cotton** inquired whether per-person fees would be based on estimates or actual attendance, with staff confirming they would use estimates provided by applicants. **Council Member Michael Anderson** (attending as non-committee member) raised detailed questions about the boundary between casual group use and commercial operation…

**Nicole Oliver, on cemetery space pressure:** "There's been quite a bit of pressure on the cemetery for space and to accommodate some additional types of burial services." **Nicole Oliver, explaining terramains:** "This is a cottage industry that's kind of kicking off where you can have yourself composted and that what the results in the finished product is 15 to 25 bags of remains that are organic compost." **Nicole Oliver, on commercial use permit goals:** "We're trying to spread some of …

**Immediate Changes:** - Bayview Cemetery can now offer three new services with established fee structures - Parks facility rental rates increase 4.5-5.5% across all venues - City Civic Complex parking lot and road closure fees now codified ($35/hour and $100/day respectively) - Parks Department gains authority for annual fee increases up to 5% without Council approval **Policy Shifts:** - City moves from informal tolerance of commercial park use to formal permit system with revenue generation - Cemetery operation expands beyond traditional …

### Meeting Overview The Parks and Recreation Committee of the Bellingham City Council met on December 8, 2025, to review two fee-related proposals: establishing new services and fees for Bayview Cemetery, and updating Parks and Recreation Department facility use fees including a new commercial use permit system. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Terramains:** The organic compost product that results from terramation, a process where human remains are composted. The finished product comes in 15-25 bags weighing about 25 pounds each and can be scattered in designated areas or buried in shallow graves. **Commercial Use Permit:** A new fee structure for businesses and organizations that use city parks regularly to run commercial programs without actually renting facilities. Examples include fitness classes, camps, and guided tours that advertise meeting in parks. **Cemetery Enterprise Fund:** A separate city fund that operates Bayview Cemetery, designed to be self-supporting through fees charged for cemetery services rather than using general tax revenue. **Facility Use Fees:** Charges for renting city park facilities like pavilions, shelters, athletic fields, and indoor spaces. These fees help offset maintenance and staffing costs. **Memorial Garden Ground Space:** A cemetery service offering 4-square-foot plots for memorial stones without any burial of remains. Bayview Cemetery has mapped out 90 such spaces. **User Conflicts:** When multiple groups want to use the same park space at the same time, creating scheduling problems and potentially overusing popular areas like the Cordata splash park. **Expedited Fee:** An additional charge ($75 in this case) for processing applications faster than the standard timeline. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Edwin H. "Skip" Williams | Committee Chair, City Council Member | | Hannah Stone | Committee Member, City Council Member | | Jace Cotton | Committee Member, City Council Member | | Nicole Oliver | Parks and Recreation Director | | Richard Griffin | Cemetery Sexton and Park Facilities Manager | | Steve Janschewski | Parks and Recreation Staff | | Melissa Bianconi | Parks and Recreation Staff | | Karen Regenball | Parks and R…