Utah Olympic Park area eyed for new cemetery as Snyderville Basin proposes first tax

Proposed cemetery site location near Utah Olympic Park. Photo: Snyderville Basin Cemetery District

PARK CITY, Utah — The Snyderville Basin Cemetery District board of trustees announced plans at their Oct. 9 meeting to introduce the district’s first-ever property tax, aiming to fund a new cemetery for the area.

The board, appointed by the Summit County Council, presented its report during a public meeting, outlining progress made over the past year. Board Chair Max Greenhalgh introduced the five-member team, which includes experts in law, real estate, and landscape architecture.

Pete Gilwald, a board member and landscape architect, detailed the district’s efforts to identify potential cemetery sites. The preferred location is a 10-acre parcel within the Utah Olympic Park area, which is county owned, and located towards the eastern end near the Chamber of Commerce building. The board explored several other options throughout the Snyderville Basin, including parcels on Highway 224, in Silver Creek, and near Silver Summit.

The board has adopted a tentative $495,000 budget for 2025, focusing primarily on capital outlay and site preparation. For a $2 million primary residence, the proposed tax would amount to approximately $25 per year.

County Council members expressed support for the project, recognizing the long-standing need for a local cemetery.

“It’s likely that this cemetery will end up being a de facto cemetery for Park City, as their cemetery is to capacity. If you don’t already own a plot there, you won’t be able to get one, and if you have, I think you have to live there for at least five years as well. So it’s very possible that this cemetery will end up being the greater Park City area cemetery,” said Gillwald.

The district will proceed with the truth-in-taxation process, with a public hearing scheduled for November 13.

Board members anticipate the cemetery could be operational as soon as fall 2025.