By Wendy Colsen
“It’s a dead man’s party, who could ask for more? Everybody’s comin’, leave your body at the door.” – Oingo Boingo
As a part of its master plan, Saugatuck Township is working toward improvements to both Riverside Cemetery and Douglas Cemetery. Plans include new additions to the cemeteries and community feedback was considered through a pre-planning survey.
For portions of the Douglas Cemetery, located at 130th Avenue in Douglas, Saugatuck Township partnered with the Outdoor Discovery Center in spring, 2024, to conduct a native prairie and wildflower restoration project.
According to the township’s website, “The prairie restoration project was proposed for 8.58 acres of land not plotted for grave sites. Additionally, a 2.4-acre area designated for future grave sites was treated for invasive species management.”
Benefits of the project include the following:
- Improve cemetery aesthetics with native grasses and wildflowers
- Create habitat for pollinators and other wildlife
- Provide meditative walking trails for visitors
- Enhance stormwater drainage and soil health
- Preserve the historic and natural character of the cemetery grounds
As for the Riverside Cemetery, located at 3461 Clearbrook Drive in Saugatuck, upcoming plans include the addition of columbaria options for cremated remains and a meditative walking path, as requested by community feedback.
“Cremations are in the highest demand right now and are outpacing traditional burial plots. We don’t have any more cremation plots available in Riverside Cemetery,” said Township Manager Daniel DeFranco.
“One of the solutions we came up with was to build above-ground niches, so we could fit a lot more in a smaller area,” he continued. “The meditative path will add 71 burial plots, and we’ll be adding approximately 300 columbaria niches.”
The columbarium is a dedicated structure built to hold cremated remains. Each niche holds an urn, which is sealed with a steel or metal front, and engraved with a marking in memory of the deceased.
“We had it professionally designed by Viridis Design Group out of Grand Rapids, and we worked with a professional columbaria company called Eickhof,” said DeFranco. “They complete work all over the country and are the top columbaria procurers. They do such great work.”
Interestingly, the word columbarium is derived from the Latin word columba which means dove, as the niches look like nesting boxes used for doves. Used since ancient times, the structures have become more prevalent since they offer an alternative to traditional burials, thus saving space in the cemetery, avoiding the use of chemical embalming fluids and providing a cost-saving option as well.
Prairie restoration was approved by the Saugatuck Township Board in December 2023, and the columbaria contractor contract will be on the agenda in October for Board approval. If approved, they plan to break ground in early spring of 2027, with hopes for substantial completion by July 31, 2027.
For information on Saugatuck Township’s Cemetery Master Plan, refer to saugatucktownshipmi.gov for more details.
Contact Cemetery Sexton Lori Babinski at (269) 857-7721 ext. 103, for information regarding purchase of plots.
And for a spooky historical tour, Saugatuck Township and the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center are combining to conduct a guided historical tour in the cemetery with the “Riverside Cemetery Comes Alive!” event on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
“Enjoy cider and donuts in the Caretaker’s Cottage, interact with living history figures and learn about the deep history buried in our community.”
Tickets are $5 per person (age 12 and under free) with all sales supporting the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center. Check either the township’s or the history center’s websites for links to ticket purchase.
