by Tim Robison
Moapa Valley progress
Today it has been eight months since the mortuary was destroyed by fire. Owner and operator Brian Rebman set the goal that the new mortuary would be finished one year from the date of the fire. While much has happened to slow the progress of the new building Rebman is still optimistic that the building will be completed by May 9, 2008.
According to Rebman, he and his contractor Dennis Humes came up with a building design that the community could be proud to have. “We wanted this to be a building to be a quality structure,” Rebman said, “a beautiful and peaceful place, a dignified and comfortable facility where families can come and contemplate on the lives of their loved ones.”
Interestingly enough there have been a lot of comments made to Rebman regarding the trees that were once on the grounds of the mortuary. “I didn’t know how attached many people were to those trees,” said Rebman. “I feel just as bad about them being taken out as anyone in this community does. Some of the trees were burned so badly in the fire that they could not be saved.”
Rebman further explained that the rest of the trees had to be removed to put in the new septic system as well as the parking that the County will require. Regarding landscaping of the new mortuary Rebman said, “We are going to be putting in new landscaping that will complement the quality of the building we are trying to make.”
As part of the new landscape Rebman would like to come up with some type of monument of thanks to the people who donated to the credit union account set up to help the mortuary. To this day Rebman does not know who set up the account but said, “we would like to do something as part of the new landscaping to show our gratitude to the community for the roughly $2000 in donations that have come in. We feel very fortunate to live in such a generous community.”
Working through the requirements of the various government entities has been a trial in patience for Rebman but he is remaining positive. He believes that the goal he has set of May 9, for the new mortuary facility to be finished despite holdups is still an achievable one.
“We love this community,” Rebman said. “The families we serve have been very patient as we rebuild and have not complained about making arrangements in our temporary buildings. We believe that our community deserves the finest facilities possible. We hope that our new mortuary will be something that we can all be proud of.”
