The state of Iowa Insurance Commission took receivership over the cemetery in mid-2019 after the former private owner essentially abandoned the property.

“After the previous owner walked away, the state of Iowa stepped in and took receivership,” explained Lori Branderhorst, the city’s director of parks, recreation and forestry. “And then the receivership finds somebody locally, which is either another private party or the city, to take over the general maintenance, upkeep and record keeping.”

The city was set to take ownership of the cemetery on July 1, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays to the transfer of ownership and deed to the property.

While the state has been in receivership of the cemetery for nearly the past year and a half, the state has been paying the city of Fort Dodge to take care of the maintenance, upkeep and record keeping at the cemetery.

“We have gotten money to improve the roads, we’ve gotten money to take down that very badly deteriorating office building,” Branderhorst said. “The state provided us money for cemetery software.”

The $20,000 software program paid for by the state maps out the interments at the cemetery and digitizes the record keeping, so visitors who visit the cemetery outside of business hours will be able to find help locating their loved one’s resting places if they need it.

“What I have been surprised about is the state recognizing that there’s nobody better than the city to take over management of a cemetery,” Branderhorst said. “They know it’s probably going to stay with us forever, there’s never going to be a private owner.”

Branderhorst estimates that it’s going to cost around $32,000 a year to run the cemetery, but projects about $23,000 in revenue per year.

Approximately a third of the property is still open for burial plots, she said. She previously told The Messenger that plots will be sold for $600 each, and each plot can hold one vault for a casket or two cremation urns.

“It’s been really great seeing our staff embrace that cemetery,” Branderhorst said.

The city has big plans for expanding services at the cemetery, including building a beautiful garden for scattering cremains next spring.

“We’re really excited about where we’re going to take this beautiful cemetery into the future,” Brandherhorst said.