Some Stansbury Park residents are working to bring a cemetery to the northern end of Tooele County that could possibly serve both Stansbury Park and Erda residents.

Glenn Oscarson, a Stansbury Park Service Agency trustee, is leading the project and said the idea of creating a cemetery for Stansbury Park residents has been around for quite some time.

"We started thinking about this years ago," he said. "But nothing's been done."

While the cemetery is still just an idea, Oscarson said he hopes to get some commitments for the project by the end of the year and has already looked at several possible locations.

"I think the whole north end of the county could be well served by a cemetery," he said. "So, in the back of my mind, I think it would be nice if we could do something that would include Erda."

Trying to create a cemetery that would serve two communities brings up the problem of location.

Oscarson said he doesn't know if Erda residents would be enthusiastic about the idea of having the cemetery located right in the Stansbury community.

"If we could find something that would be on the edge of Stansbury and Erda, we could do something that would be area-wide, and be available to a lot of people," he said. "That would be the ideal situation."

Stansbury Service Agency Trustee John O'Donnell said a cemetery is something Stansbury Park has needed for a very long time and would be a key element in pulling the community together. He supports the idea of a cemetery solely for Stansbury residents or also a joint effort with Erda residents.

"Whatever steps Stansbury needs to take in order to make the cemetery a reality would surely be a win-win situation for the community," he said. "So if Erda residents are interested in doing this, I think we should join hands with them."

A joint project between the two communities would require the creation of a special district that would be in charge of the cemetery, O'Donnell said.

With the cemetery still in the initial planning stages, the next step Oscarson will be taking is finding out if Erda residents have any interest in the idea of creating an area-wide cemetery.

"I'm just trying to get something started," Oscarson said.

Oscarson has talked to the Tooele County Commission about the idea and received a recommendation to start a petition that would show commissioners there is support for the project.

County Commissioner Bruce Clegg has heard ideas about two separate cemeteries, one for Erda and one for Stansbury.

"We are definitely not opposed to looking this situation over," Clegg said. "We realize a lot of Stansbury Park residents don't have any connections with Tooele City."

There are many issues to consider with a project like this, such as groundwater, location and community interest and support, Clegg said.

If people have comments or want to get involved with the project, they can contact the Stansbury Service Agency at 882-6188.