Westbrook’s first columbarium could be built this fall at Woodlawn Cemetery.

When Arty Ledoux was first told about cemetery columbariums, he had a typical reaction.

He said he and other members of Westbrook’s cemeteries’ trustees were discussing capacity and future plans for Woodlawn Cemetery, the city’s largest public cemetery, and a trustee brought up the idea of a columbarium.

“The rest of us said, ‘What’s that?’” Ledoux said.

Since that time, Ledoux, the director of operations for Westbrook Public Services, has spearheaded a three-year effort to implement a large project in the cemetery, one that could be constructed this fall.

Columbariums offer an alternative to the traditional in-ground burial. Resembling a large granite wall, a columbarium holds cremated remains in a series of “niches,” offering a cost-effective way for families to honor their loved ones and using less space in the cemetery.

In places such as New York City, columbariums are fairly common, but there are only a few in Maine, including a small project at Brooklawn Cemetery in South Portland and one in a private cemetery known as Laurel Hill in Saco. Other examples can be found at the Maine Veterans Memorial cemeteries in Springvale and Augusta.

In Saco, Ledoux said, the niches in the columbarium were sold out, and until more were built, there was a waiting list.

“Come to find out, these are quite popular and have been around for a while,” he said. “We’re really excited about this.”

Ledoux said he began researching the project three years ago at the request of Jim Brooker, then a member of the cemeteries board. Brooker, who has since died, brought the idea of a columbarium project to the three-member group, which oversees the city’s five public cemeteries.

However, Woodlawn is by far the largest in the city, and has required recent expansion. The cemetery was founded in 1885. Coupled with statistics that point toward more people choosing to be cremated, the board began looking at the columbarium project seriously. After the Westbrook Planning Board unanimously approved a site plan for the project last week, it became official.

According to Ledoux, more than 60 percent of Westbrook funerals last year were cremations. He said that when the idea was first discussed, it was in reaction to other plans to cut down more trees on the Woodlawn property and expand the cemetery east. Ledoux said a new section is ready, which will hold about 500 plots, with another section in the works.

Ledoux said that since Brooker’s death, there has been energy to move the project forward.

The plan took a few years to take shape. The 2,500-square-foot area, in a triangle of land abutting Stroudwater Street at the cemetery entrance, was tackled by architect Dick Reed of Reed Architects. According to Ledoux, Reed also designed the only other columbarium site of similar size in the state, at the Maine Veteran’s cemetery in Augusta.

The project will use a phased plan, with the overall landscaping and other features also established, but only one columbarium wall installed at a time. Each columbarium holds 72 niches on each side for a total of 144. Each niche holds two urns. Eventually, the plan calls for five columbariums.

Concept designs, which were shown at last week’s Planning Board meeting, depict the project as a tranquil, garden-like area. The first columbarium is shown, with bases for the other eventual walls serving as benches. In the middle of the design, is a pergola surrounded by trees and other landscaping.

“We think it will add a lot to Woodlawn,” Ledoux said.

The design for the project, with landscape architecture done by Will Conway of Sebago Technics, cost roughly $20,000. Ledoux estimated the first phase of the project, which will include bases for the future additional columbariums, and all the landscaping, will cost $160,000, all coming from the city budget.

Conway, presenting the concept to the Planning Board last week, said he also hadn’t heard of columbariums before working on the project. Conway said each columbarium is 8 feet tall and 21 feet long.

“Our design is based on creating an outdoor room,” he said, referring to the pergola and the columbarium walls.

Conway added that the landscaping for the project will also enhance the feel of the site, with a large, flowering tree in the center, and numerous other plantings.

“We think it’s a great project, and we’re here to request your approval of the project,” he said.

Questions from Planning Board members were also more based on curiosity about columbariums. Cory Fleming asked how much it would cost residents to buy a niche.

Ledoux says the costs associated with buying a niche in the columbarium will be an all-inclusive price. He said unlike traditional in-ground burials, which can add a series of hefty fees, he hopes to have one cost for the columbarium. However, he does not know what the cost will be yet. Niches may also include a stainless steel vase to hold flowers or a flag marking a veteran.

Joanne Bergeron, a spokeswoman for Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco, said the price for a niche ranges from $4,100-$4,800, which includes lettering, opening and closing, and care. She said four columbarium walls are sold out, and the cemetery recently installed two more.

A typical cost for a cremation, grave plot and burial at Woodlawn is roughly $1,555, but a headstone can cost anywhere from $2,000-$5,000, Ledoux estimated, depending on the size and lettering. He’s hoping the columbariums can be a cost-effective alternative, and said that as a public cemetery, it will be cheaper than a private one.

At the meeting, Planning Board member Rene Daniel paid compliments to the late Brooker, calling him and his family “a gigantic asset to this town.”

Daniel asked if there would be a place where families can host funeral gatherings, where final words can be said. He also called the site location “fabulous” due to it being near the gateway of the city.

“If it looks one-tenth as good as what’s up there, it’s going to be beautiful,” he said, referring to the concept design.

The board unanimously approved the site plan. The goal is to have the work done in time for Memorial Day 2016.

“It’s been a lot of work,” Ledoux said about planning the project. “If all goes well we’re hoping to start building it in the fall.”

A bird’s-eye view of Westbrook’s first cemetery columbarium project. Courtesy imageA concept design for Westbrook’s first cemetery columbarium project was shown to the Westbrook Planning Board last week. A columbarium is a granite wall structure that holds cremated remains, and is seen as a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional burials, especially as space is at a premium. Courtesy image