Christian Porter, who represents the Friends of Honolulu Memorial Park, said the group hopes to take over the majority ownership from the Richards family. One of two registered nonprofit groups will become the new owner, he said.

The change is not guaranteed, he said. Details must be worked out with the cemetery’s other owner, attorney Nils Katahara.

"There are still some hoops we have to jump through," Porter said.

An informational meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Kawananakoa Middle School auditorium.

The majority owners of the cemetery — the Richards family — closed it on Sept. 2, turning off water, locking up the offices and restrooms and ending grounds maintenance.

There are 8,000 people buried or inurned at the cemetery. Family members have been tending to the graves since the cemetery closed.

The cemetery has been the object of a struggle between its owners, who say they have been losing money since inheriting the park 30 years ago, and plot and niche owners who are trying to save the park’s pagoda and say the owners have violated a trust by not doing enough to maintain the historic structure.