They won't rest 'til it's the best.

Byline: REAL ESTATE By Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

Nearly a year after purchasing the Sunset Hills Cemetery, new owners Wade and Melissa Lind have grand plans to transform the neglected 9-acre plot in Eugene into a wooded, parklike haven "not like any cemetery you've ever seen before."

"We have a whole picture in mind, with pathways that just meander and places where people can relax, read and feel comfortable," Wade Lind said. "We want to add some water features and places to hold niches, with gardens growing on top of them."

The Linds' plans also include an addition to the existing mausoleum to create a funeral home and installation of an on-site crematory to make the cemetery a full-service facility and increase its economic viability. The Linds and their three children moved here from San Rafael, Calif., where Wade Lind was also involved in the funeral home business.

Aesthetically, the couple's goal for Sunset Hills "is to completely change it from being a big green lawn on the side of a hill into a landscape that blends with the south hills," Wade Lind said.

That means planting hundreds of native trees - including pencil maples, redwoods, spruces and poplars - which will dry wet hillside soil, provide year-round color and help accommodate wildlife such as deer, wild turkeys and raccoons, Lind said.

"Trees are counterproductive in most cemetery directors' minds, but we want to incorporate them in a way that doesn't interfere with the needs of space for burials but makes the whole environment more natural and beautiful," he said.

The first step toward realizing their dream is seeking a conditional use permit from the city of Eugene that would allow not only the landscaping improvements but also the funeral home and crematory construction.

"We're not talking about a large mortuary building, just about the size of a house," he said. "People generally don't hold gigantic funerals like they used to, and if they are large, they're usually at a church or some other large building."

The need for a crematory reflects changes in public views about death - especially in the Pacific Northwest - that have moved significantly away from burial to cremation, he said.

"Nationwide, the (average) number of people being cremated is in the low 30 percent range, but in this area, it's much higher," Lind said. "In the 1950s, nearly everybody was buried - they'd pick out their site and they knew where they'd be. Now, most people say they prefer cremation. What was good for Grandma and Grandpa is not necessarily what people want now."

The Cremation Association of North America lists Oregon's cremation rate for 2005 at 63 percent, behind only Washington and Hawaii, each with 64 percent.

The Linds' plans also include a pet cemetery and cremation service, "because people, especially the elderly, are really attached to their pets and this way, they would have a place for them nearby," he said.

The entire project could take as long as 15 years to complete, Lind said. He said he doesn't know yet what the total cost of the improvements will be. County records show that the Linds and their partners paid about $500,000 when they bought Sunset Hills Cemetery a year ago.

If Sunset Hills wins approval for its alterations, Lind plans to install a crematory built by an Oregon company - Therm Tec Inc. - "with 30 years of 'green' experience," he said.

The unit is lined with a ceramic material developed by NASA for use in the space shuttle program, instead of the traditional brick. That makes the $100,000 machine about 99 percent efficient, he said, in contrast with 40 percent for conventional crematories, he said.

"That means it uses very little fuel, and it's very quiet because it doesn't need fans to disperse residual heat," Lind said. "It's also very quick - it takes 45 minutes as opposed to three hours."

The new technology, combined with landscaping and other improvements to the 50-year-old cemetery, will allow Sunset Hills to become not only financially viable but also a valued part of the neighborhood, Lind said.

"We're already trying to do things to encourage people to enjoy being here," he said. "We've done two large candlelighting (vigils) so far, an Easter egg hunt with 3,000 eggs and a Memorial Day picnic with hotdogs and hamburgers for the community."

PUBLIC HEARING

Eugene hearings official will consider Sunset Hills Cemetery's application for a conditional use permit for alterations.

When: 5 p.m. Jan. 24

Where: Sloat Room, Atrium Building, 99 W. 10th Ave., Eugene

How to testify: Call Southeast Neighbors organization at 682-5009; send written testimony to Hearings Official, c/o Heather O'Donnell, 99 W. 10th Ave., Eugene, OR 97401; or speak or submit written testimony at the hearing.

More information: Call city planner Heather O'Donnell at 682-5488 or e-mail heather.m. [e-mail].