Oct 24, 2013, 2:48pm HST Oahu Cemetery rebrands, expands cremation services Tina Yuen Jenna Blakely General Assignment Reporter- Pacific Business News Oahu Cemetery, the oldest public cemetery in Hawaii and the final resting place for some of the state’s most prominent citizens, has rebranded to reflect an expanded line of funeral services, including cremation, and is planning a $4 million renovation project. The Oahu Cemetery & Crematory, which was founded in 1844 and spans 18 acres in Nuuanu, is owned and operated by the nonprofit Oahu Cemetery Association, which is also now doing business as Oahu Cemetery & Crematory. Its mortuary service operates as a for-profit arm. Despite having a crematory located on the grounds since 1907, the organization had been outsourcing cremation services to various other companies for the past three decades, which meant that the organization lost direct contact with families. “Our low overhead structure enables us pass on significant savings to Hawaii’s residents. For the past 28 years, we were exclusively a wholesaler of cremation services to various locally-owned mortuary service companies,” President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Power said in a statement. “There is no longer a middleman if you work directly with us.” The organization has plans to build new crematory units as part of its $4 million project, which has been in the works for the past year and a half. It has been designed and is awaiting needed building permits, but Power hopes to break ground within the next six months and have it fully functional by the end of 2014. The project involves building a 1,900-square-foot crematory facility adjacent to the existing one built in 1907. The new facility will replace the current grounds maintenance shop, which will be re-built in another location and downsized by about 200 square feet to 1,600 square feet. “The new crematory building will have a nice viewing room; one of the things happening in this industry is that there are more and more families wanting to witness the cremation process, and so we’ve designed the building into a nice space where families who want to be there can be there,” Power noted. The old crematory will remain in place because of its history, with plans to eventually shut down units inside and convert it into a reception space for families to gather and hold chapel services. The organization also now offers a full range of funeral services so families can make one call to take care of end-of-life services such as transportation, funeral and chapel services, basic permitting, obituary notices, and other documentation. Power has hired three employees — one administrative person and two funeral directors — to provide more manpower for the expansion. Board trustee Nanette Napoleon said the reason for the rebranding and expansion is to better serve families by making the process as easy as possible. “The needs of families have evolved and it makes sense for us to be with a family from the beginning through the end of their challenging time,” she said in a statement.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 02:04:24 +0000
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