FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WHNT) – Neighbors in Fayetteville are outraged by a proposed crematorium they say would be too close to their homes.
Gallant-Riverview Funeral Home has submitted an application to rezone land next to the funeral home to build a crematorium.
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The funeral home is located in a neighborhood dominated by black market streets.
“I don’t want this built on my doorstep. It’s disgusting and dangerous, and I feel like it could be built somewhere else in the suburbs,” said Stenson Knotts, whose family has lived on Market Street for more than five decades.
Gary McArdle lives across the street from the funeral home and has a lot of concerns, which he said he has shared with county leaders.
“It’s unappealing, it’s bad for my health and it’s going to lower the value of my home. It’s dangerous, I’m not happy about it at all and it’s disturbing,” McArdle said.
“This is cremation, so that means your body is being burned, you know, so that’s a very concerning issue.”
The Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers, which oversees the process and serves as the regulator for crematoriums in the state, said in a statement to News 19 that there are no federal or state environmental regulations for crematoriums.
Gallant-Riverview Funeral has not yet formally applied for a crematorium license.
Management at Gallant-Riverview Funeral Home said they have other properties where a crematorium could be built. However, their Market Street location was more attractive to them.
“These are the people we serve, and we love serving and look forward to continuing to serve in new ways. That’s part of the reason we wanted to build a crematorium in the first place,” said Michael Hall, funeral director. “Cremation is a need right now and it’s a service we can provide to the community as we have been providing services to the community for a long time.”
Fayetteville aldermen and officials are currently gathering information about the proposal.
Fayetteville city leaders plan to hold a public discussion on the proposed crematorium on Jan. 8.
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