Portage Township, Tech agree on mausoleum deal
Portage Township, Tech agree on mausoleum deal
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer
HOUGHTON — Portage Township’s former cemetery vault is now in the hands of Michigan Tech University.
Portage Township sold the mausoleum to the university for $172,200, settling negotiations that had been taking place since January.
The vault, which has a capacity of 144 bodies, has averaged 32 to 36 over the past seven years.
With cremation becoming more popular, there’s no need for the township to have such a large facility, said Supervisor Bill Bingham.
The site, located next to the Student Development Complex on MacInnes Drive, also features a large parking area, resulting in a large snow removal expense, he said.
“Looking at the size of the building, our needs ... we felt it wasn’t a good fit, being next to the SDC, a more modern facility,” he said.
Bingham said the university would likely use it for storage.
“It’s a win-win for both the township and the university,” he said.
Bingham said the sales price had been based on the judgment of fair market price following two appraisals.
“They came up, and we came down,” Bingham said.
At its monthly meeting Monday, the township board selected Hitch Engineering to draw up specs for a new vault, to be located on the east end of the cemetery. The new building, which would hold about 60 bodies, would ideally be completed in September.
Crews spent two days removing items from the vault. The racks for the coffins will be used again at the new locations.
Money from the sale will be placed in a 60-day CD fund, which will have an interest rate of 5.2 percent.
Bingham said it was “pretty pleasant” working with the university staff.
“Things worked extremely well,” he said.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com.
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