LAST WEEK: IS PROPOSED CREMATORIUM SAFE NEAR HOMES?
A proposed funeral home and crematorium’s proximity to neighborhoods in the Towne Lake section of Woodstock as well as the issue in general unleashed a torrent of reaction. Some of it seemed extensively researched and reasoned. Some of it was more visceral.
Many had scathing criticisms of Cherokee County Commissioner Brian Poole, whose plan for the crematorium/funeral home on Eagle Drive kicked up all the fuss.
Respondents said not only was the move very poor politically, it ran afoul of common sense, in part because many more remote potential locations exist. One respondent suggested that he put the facility next door to his home.
Poole’s told a few members of the media he’ll scout another location for the crematory, but hasn’t returned repeated calls and emails from the AJC.
On the other hand, some who responded had praise for another politician, State Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta. Beach’s proposed bill would ban cremation within 2,000 feet of residential neighborhoods, an increase from the current 1,000-foot restriction .
Here’s a sampling of the responses:
"Our investigations have identified many gaps in current zoning and regulation at all levels of government - local, county, state, and federal. Most critically, no EPA regulations exist to set or monitor emission standards for such facilities. Operators of crematoriums then claim they operate 'within the law'. There is ample evidence to show that chemical emissions, including harmful dioxins, mercury and dense particulate matter, are dispersed over the surrounding area. In this specific case, the 'immediate surrounding area' includes several neighborhoods, community pools, schools, and even the local high school stadium." -Andy Flood.
"We are moving in five days into a home less than three miles from the proposed building site. We learned of this after closing on our home. We would have not purchased the home if we had known that this development was even a possibility." -Nancy Coskery
"I live in Towne Lake and can't wrap my mind around how anyone would consider placing a crematorium .2 mile from a middle and high school—even closer to preschool, subdivision, and grocery store. Feel like this is something out of a Tim Burton movie rather than from suburbia. How macabre to have children smell burning flesh as they run track at school." -Jenifer Hanchey
"The traffic is terrible at that intersection when the students are coming and going, and adding a funeral home will only add a lot more traffic. Mr. Poole has stated that most of their business is done between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. He might want to look at the school hours in this area!" -Tina Johnson
"There should be much more of a buffer than the current 1,000 feet. Poole's proposed site is practically spitting distance from not only the football field, but also two senior citizen facilities, a daycare, a grocery store and a neighborhood pool." -Rosalind Rosenberg
" According to data gathered about locating a crematory near neighborhoods, the average value of a home goes down between 18 and 50 percent. Not only does this directly affect sellers but buyers, and real estate agents as well." -Cheryl Strieber
"I am pregnant and I am seriously considering moving away from the area because of the health concerns posed by a crematorium. The fact is the state is unsure about the effects of a crematorium. And I don't know about you but I sure as hell don't want to be used as a test subject just so they can make money." -Jennifer Kearney
"Personally, I feel this has been blown way out of proportion. Poole is simply trying to run a business and being smart by coming to a well-populated area that doesn't have a funeral home nearby. I think people have visions of Schindler's List when thinking about a crematorium. Come on people, this is the 21st century, there aren't going to be ashes raining down on us." -Alicia Smerk.
"When you visit the Cherokee County Commissioners' website, Mr. Poole lists as his goals: professional leadership and being attentive to the needs of ALL Cherokee County residents. Perhaps it's time for Mr. Poole to revisit his second goal in particular. If he doesn't plan abiding by his own goals, then perhaps he shouldn't say it." -David Hughes
Mark Woolsey for the AJC
Henry County government and Stockbridge city government continue their negotiations regarding police services. For more than three decades the county has been handling the policing in Stockbridge, now the largest city in the county and the only one without its own police department.
The negotiations have been contentious of late, with the county wanting to raise the city’s annual fee for this service as much as fourfold before more recent proposals which were considerably less.
The attorney for Stockbridge told the Board of Commissioners last week that by law it must honor the existing agreement until a new one is in place and that the matter must go to mediation if a deal cannot be struck. At one point a month ago, some commissioners seemed content to let the current agreement expire and allow Stockbridge to fend for itself.
Stockbridge has considered starting its own police department and came close to doing so in 2013 before a new mayor and some new council members took office. City officials have said the issue will be explored again but only with considerable citizen input.
There is little doubt that starting a police department from scratch will cost the city several million dollars and likely necessitate a tax increase.
What do you think? Is the county being unreasonable in raising its financial demands or is the city getting a sweet deal? Should Stockbridge take over police services for its own citizens?
Send comments to communitynews@ajc.com. We’ll publish some online and in print next week.
