The Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, established in 1886 and owned by the City since 1918, has experienced improved financial status since the City Council approved a business plan for the cemetery in March 2015 and hired a permanent full-time cemetery manager in August, 2015. Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest city-owned cemetery in the State of California. Maintenance to improve the look and experience of visiting Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery has been a high priority of the revised plan.
Here are the efforts to date:
City crews trimmed 933 trees in the cemetery, 29 trees and 34 tree stumps were removed.
All irrigation lines have been replaced
All streets have been repaved Phase 1-- the North End (2.5 miles) and Phase 2 – South End (2.75 miles)
The Cemetery office has been painted and remodeled.
By using in-house staff to straighten 114 upright markers, over $70,000 was saved towards the cemetery budget.
A company has been hired to assist with mowing and edging of the grounds, allowing on-site staff to better serve visitors and clients.
A new cremation garden is in the bid process.
Within the last few weeks, the cemetery’s grounds maintenance has been integrated with the City Parks Division, which greatly increases capacity. The improvements to Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery are a work in progress, and positive feedback from patrons and visitors indicate that these improvements are being noticed. The City of Redlands and the Quality of Life Department are committed to being good stewards of this treasured historical and community asset. Maintaining and improving Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery is a priority.
The Redlands Quality of Life Department welcomes volunteers to assist at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, as well as with other City projects. To find out about volunteer opportunities available, including those at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, please contact the Human Resources Department to apply.