Des Moines inherits a Masonic cemetery

Catch up fast: The 40-acre site is adjacent to Glendale Cemetery, just south of Franklin Avenue Library in the Waveland Park neighborhood.

• It has been managed by Masonic members since it was formed around 1920.
• Annual operating expenses are now around $300,000, or roughly twice its annual revenue, according to the summary.

Driving the news: The council last week agreed to take over the cemetery and its records, including a nearly $733K maintenance fund.

• Equipment and an adjacent home that's been used as office space is being sold to retire the Masonic Cemetery Association's debt.

Of note: State law requires cemeteries that are financially insolvent and then go into a legal process known as receivership be transferred to the nearest municipality.

• This is a voluntary agreement and will avoid some legal costs, DSM Parks and Recreation director Ben Page tells Axios.

What's next: The city is examining infrastructure and will make improvements to the cemetery's roads, landscaping and monuments in coming years, Page says.

• There are about 2,600 ground burial spaces and hundreds of mausoleum spaces available that will eventually be sold to the public.