Fight Over Proposed Crematory
Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010
http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/fight_over_proposed_crematory/nkTr/
(WSB Radio) Residents who live on Lawrenceville Highway in the Tucker area say they’ll fight plans by a local funeral home to build a crematory on the site.
Ben Roberson, who has lived in the area for 30 years, tells Channel 2 Action News, when the Bill Head Funeral Home was built, they said residents would not have to worry about a crematory.
“Our first concern is property values,” Roberson says. “I’ve talked to a couple of people in the real estate industry and they say property values will fall approximately 50% from where they are right now.”
The building permit will be presented o the Gwinnett County Planning Commission on September 7th.
Gwinnett Crematory Battle
Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010
http://www.wsbradio.com/news/news/gwinnett_crematory_battle/nkZD/
(WSB Radio) Tempers were running high in Gwinnett County, as the fight over a proposed crematory took center stage.
The county planning commission got an earful from angry Lawrenceville residents who are trying to block a funeral home’s plan to expand their facility by adding a crematory.
Barbara Bailey is leading home-owners fighting a planned crematory in the shadow of homes.
“We believe that cremation in residential neighborhoods are conflicting land uses,” she told the commission. “Mercury vapors, lead vapors, cadmium vapors and hydrogen chloride are all present.”
Residents are also concerned over what a crematory would do to their property values.
Bill Head Funeral Home denies there are any health threats from the proposed crematory.
The planning commission tabled any action on the matter until November 3.
‘No way he’s going to put a crematory in my neighborhood’
Shane Blatt The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6:39 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22, 2010
Curtis Compton
Crematory opponent Tia Severino stands on a sidewalk in front of a proposed incinerator site at Bill Head Funeral Home. Severino is heading a public campaign against the crematory.
Tia Severino of Tucker wasn’t alarmed at first when she learned of a proposed crematory about 1,100 feet from her front door.
“I got a call from my neighbor who told me it could hurt our property values. To be honest, this neighborhood has already been hard hit, so I was like, ‘Great, something else,'” the 40-year-old said. “But then she said ‘mercury vapors from amalgam [dental] fillings,’ and that got my attention.”
Severino’s 4-year-old son, Luke, has autism and she fears that crematory emissions, particularly mercury, will make a delicate situation worse. Others say those fears are unfounded.
Still, on Saturday, Severino has helped organize a march of hundreds of residents along a half-mile strip of Lawrenceville Highway to protest the proposed incinerator attached to the Bill Head Funeral Home.
The group, which calls itself Tucker CAN! (Community Awareness Network), is opposed to a special-use permit that would allow a 436-square-foot crematory in an area that includes three day-care facilities, two churches and one assisted-living home. The addition would sit about 100 feet from several residences and within a half-mile of 17 subdivisions in the Gwinnett County portion of Tucker.
The Gwinnett County planning commission is expected to vote Nov. 3, with county commissioners weighing in Nov. 16. The planning department has recommended the county deny the application, noting the crematory’s possible “negative impacts” to nearby homes.
Gerald Davidson, attorney for Bill Head, said his client wants to relocate his Lilburn crematory to the Tucker site. The new facility would be more state of the art and allow families to witness the cremation at one location, he said.
Davidson said residents’ concerns are misguided, as crematories already mingle among homes and businesses in Buford, Lawrenceville and Lilburn.
“If these operations emitted the kinds of things the opposition is trying to make people believe they do, they wouldn’t be allowed next to restaurants and public libraries and schools,” he said.
That offers little solace to Gowrishankar Rajam of Tucker, whose home is about 900 feet from the proposed site. He’s not opposed to crematories, but he believes this one is out of place and not just for health and property-value reasons.
“In my [Hindu] culture, having a crematory next door is very uncomfortable,” Rajam said.
This isn’t the first time a crematory has triggered protest in Gwinnett. In 2008, a crematory moved into a Snellville neighborhood, prompting an outcry from residents and a year-long legal battle between the city and business owner. Snellville settled the case but has since outlawed crematories from all zoning districts.
The incident also spurred a state law that prohibits crematories from within 1,000 feet of a subdivision. The law applies only to stand-alone crematories.
Paul Rahill, president of Matthews International Cremation Division, which designs crematory equipment, said he has heard the Tucker residents’ claims before.
“Mercury is the No. 1 bogeyman when it comes to people opposing crematories,” he said. “Yes, there is some emitted, but the amount emitted is fairly insignificant.”
Rahill, who has collaborated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said mercury emissions come from silver amalgam fillings, but their use has declined since 1985 as more people opt for composites or porcelain fillings.
However, Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, which works to eliminate mercury use, said although more people are choosing composites for their front teeth, dentists still use amalgam fillings for back teeth.
And mercury emissions add up as more Americans choose cremation as a cheaper alternative to burial, he said.
Georgia’s cremation rate is 14.38 percent, according to 2009 data by the Cremation Association of North America.
For Severino, the fight will go on as long the proposal is on the table, even if that requires an injunction or lawsuit.
“I’m not backing down,” she said. “There’s no way he’s going to put a crematory in my neighborhood.”
Hundreds March Against Funeral Home
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/hundreds-march-against-funeral-home/nJXTT/
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — One lane of Lawrenceville Highway was shut down as Tucker residents picketed in opposition to a crematory proposed for the street.”To build a crematory in our back yards, that’s definitely not going to help our property values or our health,” said opponent Lucille Golden-Blakley.
She and hundreds of others took to the streets to stand against Bill Head’s Funeral Home on Saturday morning. They marched with signs, strollers and medical face masks.
PHOTOS: Residents Protest Proposed Neighboring Crematory
Five hundred opponents have signed petitions against the funeral, according to protest organizer Tia Severino. She said the Tucker Community Action Network is against the project because the crematory will emit harmful toxins into the air.
The city’s planning and development department has turned down crematory owner Bill Head’s application, but he told Channel 2’s Pam Martin that he is still hopeful. Tucker’s planning and zoning board will meet Nov. 3 to discuss the project. The meeting is closed to the public.
Crematory protest draws 500 in Tucker
Shane Blatt The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4:58 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, 2010 |
A protest of a proposed crematory in Tucker drew more than 500 people on Saturday morning, organizers said this week.
A line of mask-wearing, sign-waving demonstrators stretched a quarter of a mile along Lawrenceville Highway. They marched for more than an hour in opposition to a special-use permit that, if approved, would pave the way for a crematory attached to Bill Head Funeral Home.
The Gwinnett County planning commission is expected to issue a recommendation Nov. 3. County commissioners will weigh in Nov. 16.
Tia Severino, the mother of a 4-year-old autistic child, is among the leaders of Tucker CAN! (Community Awareness Network). She said volunteers knocked on doors all week and up until 11 the night before the march to drum up support. In addition, they handed out 500 surgical face masks.
“The message was this: You’re going to make it where we can’t breathe our own air,” she said.
Sgt. John Drouault, one of several Gwinnett County officers on hand Saturday, said the march was peaceful, with “zero issues.”
Gwinnett panel to weigh in on Tucker crematory
Shane Blatt The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6:40 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010 |
A proposed crematory in Tucker will be in the spotlight again Wednesday night, as the Gwinnett County planning commission is expected to issue a recommendation in favor of or against the facility.
Bill Head Funeral Home is seeking a special-use permit that would allow for a 436-square-foot crematory attached to the business on Lawrenceville Highway. The incinerator would sit about 100 feet from several residences and within a half-mile of 17 subdivisions in the Gwinnett County portion of Tucker.
For weeks, residents have expressed opposition to the proposal, fearing a crematory would lower property values and emit toxins such as mercury. Some experts have said those fears are unfounded.
Still, hundreds of residents on Oct. 23 wore masks, waved signs and marched up and down a stretch of Lawrenceville Highway to protest the crematory.
A crowd is expected to be on hand for the 7 p.m. meeting Wednesday at the Gwinnett County courthouse. The commission’s recommendation will go to county commissioners, who could weigh in Nov. 16.
Commission Denies Request To Move Crematorium
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/commission-denies-request-to-move-crematorium/nJZwN/
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Funeral home owner Bill Head would like to put a 436-square-foot state of the art crematorium on Lawrenceville Highway in Gwinnett County.But residents who live nearby say they’re against the project for a slew of reasons, including property values, pollution and cultural beliefs.
At a planning commission meeting Wednesday evening, the commission denied Head’s request to move his crematorium from one location to another.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Erica Byfield was there for the decision.
“It was close but still we are very, very happy that over all democracy wins,” said Shankar Rajam, who is against the crematorium.
A group against the crematorium signed a petition, waved signs and wore white to signify their solidarity at Wednesday’s meeting.
“That smoke stack from the crematory would be 20 feet from the nearest property line and we’ve got kids, elderly,” said Tia Severino, who is also against the crematorium.
“This proposal has scared away all the potential buyers,” said Huifeng Shan, who is against the crematorium.
Head sat in on the planning commission meeting, but didn’t want to speak on camera, so Byfield asked his attorney some questions.
“I think tonight they voted on unfounded reasoning,” said attorney Gerald Davidson Jr.
While Davidson is disappointed in the vote, he was glad three members voted in their favor.
Gwinnett County currently has seven crematoriums: North GeorgIa Crematory; Gwinnett Crematory; Flanigan Funeral Home & Crematory; Tapp – Tim Stewart Funeral Home & Crematory; Eternal Hills Funeral Home & Crematory; R.T. Patterson Funeral Home & Cremation Service; and Bill Head Funeral Homes & Crematory Inc.
“You look at where they are located … they haven’t had any negative impact on any of the surrounding properties, beside them, behind them or across the street … nowhere,” said Davidson.
Despite the vote, the fight is not over. The next show down is Nov. 16, when both sides will finally get their chance to go before the Gwinnett County Commissioners.
Planning Commission Votes Against Gwinnett Crematory CLICK FOR VIDEO:
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/planning-commission-votes-against-gwinnett/vCXfj/
By Tyler Estep
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2010/nov/03/planners-vote-against-crematory-move/
LAWRENCEVILLE — Gwinnett’s planning commission sided with dozens of sign-bearing protesters Wednesday night, recommending denial of a controversial proposed crematory in Tucker.
In a narrow 4-3 decision, the panel voted against the relocation of a crematory that would connect with the current Bill Head Funeral Home on U.S. Highway 29 near Jimmy Carter Boulevard, backing up to several residential neighborhoods.
The Board of Commissioners will make a final decision on the issue Nov. 16.
“They voted in favor of the people,” said Shankar Rajam, a resident of one neighborhood near the proposed site. “It is a victory for the people, by the people … They realized that it is the people, it is the life of the people that needs to be upheld more than anything else.”
While the vote was literally applauded by 75 or so residents present at the justice center, Gerald Davidson, attorney for Bill Head, was visibly frustrated by Tuesday’s decision.
“We’re disappointed. Any time you feel like one’s been decided not on merits but on emotion and hysteria and conjecture and speculation that has no basis whatsoever, you’re disappointed,” Davidson said. “That’s clearly what happened here tonight.”
The special-use permit applied for by Head would allow him to relocate the crematory presently located at a separate site about two miles down Lawrenceville Highway. It would bring a 436-square-foot incinerator to within feet of several homes and in the close vicinity of several more neighborhoods.
The current location is across the street from Lilburn Middle School.
Residents have expressed fears of declining property value and emissions like mercury, not to mention the taboo of a nearby crematory for many Asian residents.
Davidson said Tuesday there was “no reason” for such concerns, while commission member Rebecca Peed called the proposal an “incompatible land use.”
“Clean air, property value and children,” said Tan Tran, another nearby resident. “That’s what we are fighting for.”
The issue was first brought up publicly at a September meeting of the planning department, which recommended denial of the proposal then. In Tuesday’s meeting that began at 7 p.m., the issue was briefly discussed and voted on by 7:15 p.m.
“Hopefully the Board of Commissioners will look at it by its merits, not how many people show up and how loud they scream and how many e-mails they send out, and what unfounded accusations they make,” Davidson said.
“We’re certainly not giving up.”
At its meeting on Nov. 16, the BOC can elect to take the planning commission’s advice into account, or ignore it completely.
Said resident Patricia Sebastian: “We’ll be there en masse.”
Gwinnett panel denies Tucker crematory plan
Shane Blatt The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7:13 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010
A proposed crematory in Tucker hit a roadblock Wednesday night, when the Gwinnett County planning commission issued a recommendation against the facility near scores of residential homes.
The 4-3 decision, which still needs approval by county commissioners, was met with applause by more than 80 neighborhood residents gathered at the Gwinnett County courthouse in Lawrenceville.
Residents, many of whom held signs saying “NO,” turned out in a show of solidarity to oppose a special-use permit that would allow Bill Head Funeral Home to construct the 436-square-foot incinerator at the business on Lawrenceville Highway. The addition would sit about 100 feet from several residences and within a half-mile of 17 subdivisions in the Gwinnett County portion of Tucker.
“The odor will be horrible,” Dixie Roberson, who lives within 100 feet of the proposed site, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’d like to grow my tomatoes without body-part fertilizer.”
For weeks, residents have expressed opposition to the proposal, fearing a crematory would lower property values and emit toxins such as mercury. Some experts have said those fears are unfounded.
Gerald Davidson, attorney for Bill Head, was disappointed with Wednesday’s outcome, telling a group of reporters that his client wants to relocate an old free-standing crematory in Lilburn to the Tucker site. Davidson said the new facility would be state of the art and wouldn’t pose a threat to surrounding communities.
“Look at Gwinnett County,” said Davidson, citing crematories in cities such as Buford, Lawrenceville and Lilburn. “They’re near neighborhoods or across the street from schools.”
That doesn’t convince Marc Zayac, who lives about 200 feet from the proposed site.
“It’s about quality of life, but it’s also about quality of living,” Zayac said. “You can make all the claims you like … but when you burn stuff, there are emissions.”
And resident Huifeng Shan said a crematory poses issues from a Chinese cultural standpoint.
“A lot of people living in this area are from Asia,” he said. “In Beijing, a crematory would be a joke in a residential neighborhood.”
This isn’t the first time a crematory has triggered protest in Gwinnett. In 2008, a crematory moved into a Snellville neighborhood, prompting an outcry from residents and a year-long legal battle between the city and business owner. Snellville settled the case but has since outlawed crematories from all zoning districts.
The incident also spurred a state law that prohibits crematories from within 1,000 feet of a subdivision. The law applies only to stand-alone crematories.
On Wednesday night, commissioner Jim Nash cited that law, saying its intent was to attach stand-alone crematories to funeral homes. However, Rebecca Peed, who voted in the majority, cited the facility as “incompatible land use.”
In addition to the planning commission’s decision, the county’s planning department has recommended denial of the application. The issue now goes before county commissioners, who could vote on the matter as early as Nov. 16.
Gwinnett to weigh Tucker crematory plan
5:40 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, 2010
The furor over a proposed crematory in Tucker comes to a head on Tuesday night. That’s when Gwinnett County commissioners are expected to decide the fate of the proposed incinerator on Lawrenceville Highway.
For weeks, Tucker residents have expressed opposition to a special-use permit that would allow a 436-square-foot crematory attached to Bill Head Funeral Home. Here’s a closer look at the issue:
What’s being considered?
Gerald Davidson, attorney for Bill Head, said his client wants to relocate his Lilburn crematory to the Tucker site. The new facility would be more state of the art and allow families to witness the cremation at that location, he said.
Where would it be?
The crematory would sit about 100 feet from several residences and within a half-mile of 17 subdivisions in the Gwinnett County portion of Tucker.
What’s the problem?
Residents don’t want it. They fear a crematory will lower their property values, emit toxins such as mercury and, as some Asian-American residents contend, ruin their feng shui.
Davidson said residents’ concerns are misguided; crematories already mingle among homes in Buford, Lawrenceville and Lilburn. He maintains that if they were dangerous, they wouldn’t be allowed near schools or libraries.
What’s been decided?
Both the county planning department and planning commission have recommended denying the permit, with county staffers noting a crematory’s possible “negative impacts” to nearby homes.
What about emissions?
When it comes to crematory emissions, opinions differ.
Paul Rahill, president of Matthews International Cremation Division, which designs crematory equipment, said the amount of mercury emitted from crematories is “fairly insignificant.” That’s particularly true, he said, as more people opt for composites or porcelain fillings over silver amalgam dental fillings.
However, Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, which works to eliminate mercury use, said while more people are choosing composites for their front teeth, dentists still use amalgam fillings for back teeth. And mercury emissions add up as more Americans choose cremation as a cheaper alternative to burial, he said.
Karen Hays, air unit manager for the state’s Environmental Protection Division, said there is no simple answer on crematory emissions. Little test data exists. The Environmental Protection Agency has opted not to regulate crematories.
They said it
“The proposal threatens my dream and my dearest child’s dream. Our house won’t be perfect. We got [sic] to smell death, see death every day, even at night. Can you imagine that?”
— Haitao Xu, resident, in an e-mail sent to county commissioners
“We have study after study showing that emissions aren’t of concern. If there is any kind of material being emitted … [the crematory] will burn it up itself, so that nothing comes out or is any way harmful to the environment or to people.”
— Gerald Davidson, attorney for Bill Head
If you go
- What: Public hearing
- When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
- Where: Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 72 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville
Tucker crematory plan rejected, residents cheer
Shane Blatt The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10:19 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010
Gwinnett County commissioners rejected plans for a crematory Tuesday night, bringing more than 300Tucker residents to their feet, applauding, yelling and waving signs that said “No.”
By a 3-0 vote, commissioners denied a special-use permit that would have allowed a 436-square-foot incinerator for Bill Head Funeral Home on Lawrenceville Highway. The addition would have sat about 100 feet from several residences and within a half-mile of 17 subdivisions in the Gwinnett County portion of Tucker.
“I feel almost like a warm feeling over me,” a teary-eyed Tia Severino said after the decision at the Gwinnett County courthouse in Lawrenceville. “Now I can think about what to put under the [Christmas] tree.”
But the vote, which at least one commissioner based on land use that conflicts with the county’s 2030 unified plan, isn’t likely to end the dispute. Gerald Davidson, attorney for Bill Head, told a group of reporters afterward that he will encourage his client to file a lawsuit.
“Am I surprised? No,” Davidson said of the decision. “Do I think they’re justified? No.”
For weeks, Tucker residents have expressed opposition to the proposal, fearing a crematory would lower property values, emit toxins such as mercury and, as some Asian-Americans contend, ruin their feng shui.
Davidson contends that the residents’ arguments, particularly over emissions, are misguided. He said there are six or seven crematories already in Gwinnett County. Some are near churches. Others sit next to schools. Still others mingle with homes.
“It’s not a health hazard. It’s not going to affect their children,” he told commissioners. “It will not have an adverse impact whatsoever. They will not even know it’s there.”
Little data exists on crematory emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency has opted not to regulate crematories, and the state’s Environmental Protection Division doesn’t require them to have an air quality permit.
Severino, whose 4-year-old son Luke has autism, told commissioners that the lack of regulations is not a safety endorsement.
“To say crematories must be safe because they’re next to schools is not logical,” she said. “We believe crematories will pollute.”
Helen Kim Ho, executive director of the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, told commissioners that a crematory would drive the mostly Asian-American community in that part of Tucker out of Gwinnett County.
“It will lead to a mass exodus from the area,” Ho said. “You will no longer be able to promote Gwinnett as an international gateway.”
Not everyone opposed the crematory, which would be relocated from Bill Head’s Lilburn site to the funeral home in Tucker.
“I don’t buy the arguments about the mercury or the pollutants,” said Robert Corley, a retired funeral home director. “[Bill Head] is a good Christan fellow, and he wants to do the right thing.”
After Tuesday’s hearing, state Sen. Steve Henson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he believes the General Assembly needs to re-examine data over crematories.
“I do think there’s every cause for concern,” he said.
For residents of Tucker, that concern has been mitigated, at least for now.
“I’m very happy,” Ming Jing, who lives within a half-mile of the proposed location, said after the vote. “Tonight, I can relax.”
Gwinnett residents upset over crematory sign
Carl Willis Feb. 7, 2012
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/gwinnett-residents-upset-over-crematory-sign/nHXH6/
The inclusion of one word in a funeral home’s new sign has outraged some homeowners in Gwinnett County.
Hundreds of residents rallied and convinced county commissioners to block a crematory at Bill Head Funeral Home in Tucker back in 2010.
However, a sign installed at the site in January reads “Bill Head Funeral Home & Crematory.”
Some residents who never wanted the facility near their homes said the sign suggests that there is a crematory on site and could hurt their property values.
“We don’t want the problem of having to sell our property, but not being able to do so because no one wants to locate next to a crematory,” said Tucker resident Tia Severino.
Funeral home owner Bill Head invited Channel 2 Action News Reporter Carl Willis into the business and showed him his licenses.
Head said that the sign simply displayed the full registered name of his company.
He said he did not intend to imply that there was a crematory at the facility at 6101 Lawrenceville Highway.
“Code enforcement came, inspected the property and found no crematory,” he said.
Severino was not satisfied with that explanation.
“We get that, but why don’t we be transparent and let the public know that it’s cremation services that you’re offering, not an actual crematory on site,” she said.
In 2010, hundreds of neighbors rallied against the crematory being moved from its current location at 5005 Lawrenceville Highway in Lilburn.
They said they were concerned that it would be too close to schools and homes.
They said the new sign seems like an attempt to skirt the commission’s vote.
“It’s not possible for him to pack up and leave,” said neighbor Ben Roberson. “But I would just want some truth in advertising.”
“It’s going against the decision, which was to deny the crematory,” added Severino.
No Crematory 
You must be logged in to post a comment.