Summit County Holds Hearing on Snyderville Basin's First Public Cemetery

Bear Hollow resident Susanne Burkett put the case plainly at a joint public hearing March 18: "I'm older than dirt, and I really would like to have a place to lay my bones." The Summit County Council heard her out, expressed general support for a proposed cemetery west of State Route 224, then declined to formally direct the county manager to begin conveying the land, asking instead for more outreach to nearby residents before the project advances.

The proposed site sits between Bear Cub Run to the south and Olympic Boulevard to the north, with a planned entrance off Cub Run. At a December cemetery district board meeting, board member Pete Gillwald estimated the parcel could hold about 4,040 burial plots, enough to serve the community for roughly 161 years. Test pits dug last summer indicated the ground is geologically adequate for burial use, according to the county's own site description.

Council Chair Canice Harte framed the limits of what a vote that day would have accomplished: it would only direct the county manager to work toward conveying the land and would not approve a cemetery design or authorize construction. Council members ultimately declined even that procedural step. County Councilor Tonja Hanson suggested the cemetery board hold an open house specifically for Bear Hollow residents before the process moves further.

The hearing marked the latest chapter in a site search that has spanned more than two years and involved evaluating more than 20 county-owned parcels. "We've looked at over 20 different parcels that are owned by the county and we've been vetting them and discarding the ones that don't work for us," Gillwald said. The current Bear Cub Run location is the second preferred site; the board's original choice was a roughly 10-acre parcel on the north side of Olympic Parkway, about a half-mile from the roundabout, co-owned by Summit County and the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District. That plan collapsed under opposition from community members and stakeholders who argued the site was incompatible with the adjacent trail network and that a cemetery along the road to Olympic venues could be a psychological distraction for athletes.

Not everyone at the March 18 hearing embraced the new location either. A Bear Hollow Village homeowner objected to the site's visibility from the highway. "I think having a cemetery visible from the highway is not a welcoming way to have people enjoy their ski vacation, especially with all the land that we have that you can't see right over a hillside," the resident said.

Board members also floated a potential interim arrangement: allowing the Utah Olympic Park to use part of the undeveloped property for overflow parking while cemetery construction phases in over time.

The Snyderville Basin Cemetery District was created by Summit County Council action in 2012, recognizing that the Park City Cemetery is restricted to Park City municipal residents, leaving Snyderville Basin residents without a public burial option. The council appointed a five-member board in 2023, which has met at least monthly since its first meeting that September. The board is chaired by Max Greenhalgh and includes Vice Chair Daniel Whitehurst, Treasurer Will Seggos, Clerk Bill Oshinsky, and Gillwald.

Before any cemetery breaks ground, the district still must obtain formal county approval for a land conveyance and secure a conditional use permit through the Snyderville Basin Planning Commission. Residents can sign up for notifications about upcoming cemetery district and county meetings at summitcountyutah.gov/list.aspx.