Lake Oswego staff recommend exploring acquisition and phased takeover of Oswego Pioneer Cemetery

Parks and recreation staff presented the Oswego Pioneer Cemetery ownership and transition plan and asked the City Council whether it wanted staff to continue due diligence toward eventual acquisition and operation.

Parks Director Ivan Andrew Home and Adult Community Center Manager Maria Bigelow told council the cemetery’s nonprofit board previously requested the city consider a takeover (in 2016 and again in 2021). Staff said records appear generally current, the cemetery is in good standing with the state mortuary board, and the board prefers a transition period in which the current caretaker (Sexton Joe Collins) would remain on site for two to three years to transfer knowledge.

Staff said the cemetery comprises two primary sections (a pioneer family section and an active‑plot section), that its current revenues historically covered the nonprofit’s operating expenses, and that projected city operation would likely run at a net loss because the municipality cannot barter maintenance for residence (an arrangement the nonprofit presently uses). Staff proposed city administration of sales and records through the Adult Community Center and parks staff handling grounds maintenance.

Bigelow said staff reviewed regional municipal cemetery practices and drafted rules consistent with ORS 97.71. Councilors broadly praised the nonprofit board’s stewardship and financial position, described the transfer as a civic duty to preserve local history, and supported a deliberate 18–24 month transition horizon for further due diligence and planning.

Council gave general direction to continue analysis — including a market assessment of plot pricing and a digitization plan for historic paper records dating to the late 1800s — and asked staff to return with more detailed options and a potential timeline for steps needed to formalize any acquisition or operating agreement.

Next steps: staff will continue due diligence, refine operating cost estimates, review rules and fee schedules consistent with ORS 97.71, and develop a transition plan that could include retaining the current caretaker for a limited period.