Mausoleum Reconstruction Project FAQ

Which Mausoleum(s) needs repair?

What is wrong with the Chapel Mausoleum?

What will be done to repair it?

Replacing the Mausoleum sounds extreme. Are we sure there aren’t better, less radical ways to address this?

How sure are we that the same problem won’t happen again?

Where will the other Mausoleum be constructed?

What will the new Mausoleum look like?

How will this project be paid for?

When will construction begin?

How will the assignment of crypt locations be determined?

How can I stay informed about the progress of this project?

My Loved one(s) currently rest(s) in mausoleum 3. what should i do?

How can i voice my RESERVATIONS AND cONCERNS ABOUT building a new mausoleum?

Simply put, the foundation is sinking and rising. This is already causing damage to the door frames, windows, stone borders, and crypt shutters. (We have provided images below). We fear more critical damage will occur if this situation is not addressed soon. Furthermore, there are drainage issues which are contributing to the foundation problems. Fixing these could alleviate the sinking and rising but might also intensify the foundation issues causing further damage much more quickly.

The smaller individual mausoleums will be able to weather those changes with some repairs as well as modifications to how the cement walkway buttresses against the bottom of the marble facing.

The larger mausoleum is constructed in such a way that each section has its own distinct foundation with a common cement roof connecting them. This means that it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to predict how each foundation would respond to drainage repairs. The four foundations may in fact move at different rates causing more and more profound damage to the roof, the floor, and the glass windows and doorways at the entrance ways. In truth, such damage can already be seen, and we can only expect it to get worse possibly resulting, in time, in a very radical failure in the cement roof.

After careful evaluation, it has been determined that the most cost-effective solution is likely building another mausoleum at a different location, and then relocate, with all due reverence and care, the remains of those currently interred in the large mausoleum to the new location. However, we are actively considering alternative solutions.

The only way we can find which would stop the movement of the foundation would be to underpin the foundation either with concrete shafts or steel piers. At last estimate, such an undertaking would cost about $445,000, a cost which would address all of the presenting issues but would not necessarily guarantee a final solution. It should also be noted that that estimate is two years old and has likely increased substantially. What’s more, this is an estimate of a renovation job, which is always more subject to increase as the project proceeds.

In contrast, the cost of building new crypts at a different location is $430,524. Though the cost is comparable, it has several additional benefits:

1)      Now that we know from experience how our cemetery’s soil may react to a large mausoleum like Mausoleum 3, the new mausoleum will be designed and constructed to resist and neutralize the problems which developed with Mausoleum 3. For more information see: “How sure are we that the same problem won’t happen again?”

2)      The new mausoleum will be constructed with additional crypts. The sale of these will offset the mausoleum construction costs. For more information see: “How will this project be paid for?”

3)      The cost itself is less subject to increase. Repair projects almost always come across additional problems which add to its final cost, but constructing a new mausoleum is much less subject to such additional expenses.

There is a second option. The soil test that revealed these problems recommended that we fix the drainage then monitor the foundation to evaluate if it continues to move. It is possible that we could repair the most pressing issues of the mausoleum - the broken shutters (that is the engraved marble slab that covers the crypt) and the marble trim - along with the drainage, then wait to see if the foundation does indeed move before finishing the repairs. Repairs to the ceiling and the floor would be postponed a year or two while movement in the foundation is evaluated. However, there are significant problems to this approach. While there is a chance that the foundation will not move, it is unlikely. Once the drainage is repaired, the soil test indicates that the soil beneath the foundation will dry and could contract immensely which could sink the foundation an additional 8 inches. This could create a situation that borders on being dangerous, causing us to have to close of the cemetery from visitors at best, or even severe bodily harm from falling debris at worst. We would then have to return to the option of building a new mausoleum, only this time we would have invested in repair costs to the current location that would not be recouped and allowed a year or two for the damages to potentially grow worse. Then it would be very likely that the current mausoleum would be closed to visitors until the new mausoleum is built. In light of all of this, it is strongly recommended that we move forward with constructing a new mausoleum.

The design firm, American Cemetery Consultants (ACC), and the contractor, Cemetery Services Group (CSG), enjoy a stellar record, and we have every assurance that their work will be of the highest quality. ACC includes a soil test as a standard element of their construction process, and from it we can determine whether similar dynamics will be at play as at the current site. What’s more, even if soil test results demonstrate similar levels of clay, the new site is much further removed from town drainage and trees. Thus, the soil’s saturation levels will be much more stable and resist the dramatic sinking and rising we see occurring in Mausoleum 3. Lastly, ACC will design a foundation in accord with the results of the soil test taken from the new location.

It will be constructed in the still empty section of the new cemetery behind (to the west of) the Knights of Columbus Hall, as shown below.

Below is a drawing of the new mausoleum.

The current mausoleum has perpetual care funds. We will use the interest generated from these funds to help with the cost of the new mausoleum. Also, the Diocese of Lafayette has given us permission to use the principle of those funds to cover most if not all the cost. The principle will then be replenished as new crypts in the mausoleum are sold.

We are currently in the planning stages of construction and will keep this page updated as we know more information. Also, if you would like to be sent ongoing updates, please submit your contact information below.

Aside from keeping crypts at the same level as in the original (i.e. remains interred in level one crypts will be reinterred in level one crypts, etc.), everything possible will be done to keep families adjacent to one another, and we have every reason to believe we will not come across any issues in achieving that end. Again, we will be keeping all interested parties informed as plans proceed.

Below you will find a working model of crypt placements in the new mausoleum. The first image is of the existing mausoleum with existing crypt numbers. Those numbers correspond to the numbers indicated on the second image, an image of the current proposed design for the new mausoleum. Please keep in mind that the second image is a proposed design containing a first attempt at assigning crypt location and is, therefore, subject to change before construction begins.

If you would like to receive emails updating you about the progress of this project, please provide your contact information below:

If you support our endeavor to construct a new mausoleum and have a loved one or loved ones in Mausoleum 3, but have not yet received a letter from the parish with a “Consent to Move Remains” form, please download the form below, and either return it to the parish office or mail it to: 232 Main St. P.O. Box 649, Arnaudville, LA 70512.

CONSENT TO MOVE REMAINS FORM

If you have not yet done so, please read Replacing the Mausoleum Sounds Extreme above. Even after reading this section, we understand you may still have reservations, concerns, or even objections to constructing a new mausoleum to replace Mausoleum 3. We truly care about your thoughts and opinions regarding this project. Please fill out the form below so we can better understand your concerns and your preferred solution.