Click Here for UPDATE on Snellville crematory July 14, 2008
Speaking out anonymously, a person posting to the Rants and Raves
section of Craigslist had this to say:
"Supposedly there's a crematorium almost complete
in Gwinnett. Just saw it on the news.
They got this steel chimney coming out the house
sort of like a regular house but more leaning
towards a Sonny's BBQ.
Anyway. One of the mothers said it would not be
good for her kids to see this when driving by
Said " it would remind them of death too much" !
Uhm... mam ?
What's on the news every morning ?
Is there a cemetery near you.?
That doesn't remind you of death ?
The sooner you fill your kids in that
they're "gonna die one day" --the better off they'll be mam.
And yes, when you drive by,
the smoke coming out the
chimney is of burning human flesh
and bones. Read more from these cry babies here:
http://mysnellvilleblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/
crematory-next-door.html "
Link to full posting and curse words here.
Thanks for the free website traffic though!
Although I don't agree with the bluntness of the post, to some extent I understand what he/she is saying. Death IS a part of life. I try to think of it as the final stage of life. It's important to explain death to kids and what is happening at the crematory.
My uncle was a funeral director. He owned the only funeral home company in a five county area in Texas. When I was a teenager, he allowed me in to watch him prepare a body. Everything is done with respect. It's important to help kids understand that what is done to the body after death is not felt by the person. They no longer feel any pain. Cremation is not painful to the body...the person is dead. It's not morbid, it's a service.
My father was cremated in 2005. I actually personally prefer the idea of cremation to burial.
The reason I prefer it is that I don't like the idea of my father's body being in the ground, decomposing. Cremation seems more pleasant to me.
Hubs feels that traditional burial is important because there is a grave site and a marker. My father does have a final resting place and a marker, in the new Dallas-Ft. Worth Veteran's Cemetery in Dallas Texas...so although I do find gravesites important for genealogy reasons, there's no reason why you can't have a grave site AND a marker for your remains if you are cremated.
With everyone being so concerned with the environment, I would think that overall, cremation is better for the environment. Traditional burial replaces body fluids with chemicals. Cremation burns the body at a very high temperature. Contrary to what the Craigslist poster said, the crematory isn't going to release smoke of burning flesh and bones. It will have filtration systems, so only some heat will be released.
With cremation, there isn't the cost of an expensive coffin that's all fancified to look like a comfortable bed with a satin pillow. The only reason for that is to comfort the family. That's a good reason, but I don't think a good enough reason to pay $12,000 for just a coffin (my uncle had a "Showroom" of coffins, urns, and accessories). It can get ridiculous.
Now you know I am not opposed to cremation at all. I'm all for it and that's what I want done when my time comes. But, I still wouldn't want to live right next to one.
It comes down to property values, and that most potential buyers would not the cremation center next door either. It comes down to residents feeling like they weren't represented or protected enough by the City of Snellville in the zoning ordinances. Snellville residents want their home to be worth more than a loaf of bread. The word that probably sums it all up the closest is DISMAY.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
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I am so glad someone else put into words what I feel about the whole crematorium 'stink'. For parents to be concerned for their children's psyche to see a crematorium, just doesn't make sense to me. You have to expose children to the full cycle of life, or they are going to really hurt and be confused when their grandparents, parents, or someone else they love dies. Seeing a grave yard or crematorium invites discussion about death, an otherwise hard topic to broach. My own parents have chosen to be cremated because of the cost. It is just so much less expensive than the embalming and casket/vault route. They have already purchased a plot and headstone. Oh, and one other point. One mother was concerned that her children would see the bodies being shuttled into the crematorium. I really don't think that there will be bodies rolled in on a gurney that are not sealed up in a bag, or that a hand will fall out from under a white sheet. I am sure they back the transport vehicle to a rear entrance. I'll bet they are really discreet too.
ReplyDeleteActually, the truck entrance will be right on the residential road of Abington, if I understand correctly.
ReplyDeleteIf you view the news video on CBS-46's website, it looks to me that the utility/garage door faces the residential side.
I could be wrong, though. Please correct me if I'm incorrect.
I'm sure the bodies are covered extremely well as they are delivered to the facility. I don't think anything horrific would be seen.
I would even take my older children there for an educational visit. I wouldn't have any qualms at all about that. I just would hate to live right next to it!
The driveway and parking lot for the crematory is on Abington Drive in plain view and adjoining (backyards, side yards)of probably a dozen homes. I believe he has the furnace in the garage, which these are small garages on these 35+ year old homes. It is a small less than 1/2 acre corner lot. Many residents will be affected, not to mention the rest of the subdivision. There are two new subdivisions on 78, one across the street and one a couple of houses down. There are quite a few voters whose property values will be in the dumper, not to mention the health of the senior citizen population in Abington Park. They all already have breathing, heart conditions and other medical issues. The air quality from this will be horrible for them. The city government has really made a huge mistake in allowing this crematory to be crammed on these good people.
ReplyDeleteThere is no back entrance...the two car garage, which faces the residential street, has been completely boarded up on one side, and the other is where the roll up door is which exposes the furnace.
ReplyDelete1. I agree although I'm pro-cremation I would not want to live next to one.
ReplyDelete2. On the other hand, he is reported to have already spent $250,000 for the renovations and he is willing to put in even more landscaping as a privacy screen.
3. If Abington were a HOA, and the property was in the boundary, the covenants would not have allowed it.
4. Mr. Nuzum should have figured the neighborhood behind it would not be receptive to his business.
5. But in light of all that, the Abington neighborhood would have to pass the hat and come up with the money to reimburse him, the city of Snellvile surely isn't. Other than that, I don't see any other options.