Prairie View Cemetery, southwest of Paullina is running out of ground. A few burial plots are left and land nearby is simply not available, according to Cemetery Board member Rich Frerk. So the board members, made up of Frerk, Clerk Bob Faust, Loren Johannsen and Rich Jalas put their heads together and finally came up with the option of installing columbaria.
Columbaria are permanent places the remains of loved ones to be permanently placed but requiring much less ground. A casket and a vault are not necessary. A loved ones remains are received from the funeral home/crematorium in a chosen urn and can be kept at the local cemetery to be visited, celebrated and remembered.
The Paullina project has been underway for more than a year. The two granite columbaria were installed at Prairie View Cemetery on Wednesday April 30. The resting places brought to Paullina from Centralia, WA and placed on a geometrical cement pad installed by Dave Koehlmoos Construction.
The cemetery board selected the Somerset model. In Paullina the round granite displays with black granite fronts each offer 64 niches. Prairie View Cemetery now has two 64-unit columbaria, giving a total of 128 niches. Each niche can provide permanence to two urns. Prairie View Cemetery now has 256 newly available permanent places for eternal rest. The monument company providing service to the family can do the engraving just as it would for a stone or monument.
Prices for a single niche range from $400 – $700. More information is available from a cemetery board member or your local funeral service provider.