City identifies possible site for Mt. Hope Cemetery expansion
Published 2:11 pm Thursday, November 12, 2026
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The City of West Point has found another possible site for the expansion of Mt. Hope Cemetery. At its Tuesday, Nov. 3 meeting, the city council voted to have an appraisal done to determine if it’s feasible to make an offer to purchase property north of the new Rivermist Subdivision.
City Administrator Tom Goulette said other sites the city has looked at in the past eight years didn’t pan out. The city took over management of Mt. Hope in March of 2018. Prior to that it was under private management.
It’s unclear exactly how much space for burials remains at Mt. Hope, but space is limited. Areas where a family, or a husband and wife want to have burial plots together are hard to find.
Goulette said families who purchased burial plots for themselves or their descendants but know they no longer will use them can donate them back to the city. The city will not buy back those plots.
Farragut Street Work
Also at the Tuesday, Nov. 3 meeting, the city council agreed to share with Franciscan Healthcare the cost to replace one block of Farragut Street that will be torn up during the hospital’s expansion to the south. No start date for that street work was shared.
City Street Superintendent John Zwingman said Farragut Street, from Walnut Street to Decatur Street, will be torn up so two storm sewer lines, a sanitary sewer line, a natural gas main, and fiber optic cables can be relocated. The street will be repaved and reopened once that work is completed.
Franciscan Healthcare has asked the city to consider sharing the cost of the street work, which Zwingman estimated to be $168,000. Goulette said the city will negotiate its share of the cost, but that it will likely be 50%.
The plan is to bury the sanitary sewer line down the center of Farragut Street and move the storm sewers to the city’s right-of-way on the west side of the street. The gas main and fiber optic cables would also be buried in the right-of-way.
Goulette said the city would benefit by having those utilities more spread out so the gas main and fiber optics aren’t laying on top of the storm sewer and sanitary sewer lines. Zwingman added that it also may be possible to lower the crown on that block of Farragut Street by two feet to 2 to 2 ½ feet when it’s reconstructed.
The water main that runs under the hospital and clinic parking lot will also be relocated, but Goulette said that will be done at Franciscan Healthcare’s expense. The city will relocate the fire hydrant at the corner of Decatur Street and Farragut Street.
In other matters last week, the city council:
– Approved Paul Ernesti’s request for LB840 funds for a new residential design and supply company called Motif Design & Supply. The LB840 Citizens Advisory Committee approved a $25,000 grant and a $25,000 zero percent loan, which the council agreed to. A new building is planned to be built north of the Travel Plaza.
– Authorized the sale of surplus equipment: 2024 scarifier for a motor grader; chemical sprayer with 120-gallon tank and spray boom; Airen’s Classic 24” snow blower; 1981 Chevy one-ton dually with dump box (96,000 miles); John Deere 320 snow thrower; 2020 Ford Explorer (former police cruiser with 133,401 miles). The city will take sealed bids until Nov. 23.
– Recertified John Zwingman as the city’s street superintendent.
– Approved Anthony Schantz’s membership to West Point Rescue.
– Reappointed Mark Buse to the Housing Rehabilitation Board
– Approved special designated liquor licenses for two events at the Nielsen Community Center: D&K Pub Management for a Nov. 21 wedding reception; and BB Gas LLC (PetroMart) for Franciscan Healthcare’s Dec. 4 Christmas party.
– Approves a $218,681 payment to H&R Construction Co. for the West Point EMS building expansion project.
