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MIDDLETOWN, N.J. (PIX11) — Middletown, New Jersey, residents are trying to stop the construction of a crematorium in town.
“It will destroy our community,” said Sharon Zeveney, a longtime Middletown resident.
“It’s just an environmental disaster, is what it comes down to,” said lifelong resident Richard Tarabour.
The crematorium would be just a few hundred feet from their residential neighborhood.
“It’s only 200 feet off the road where homes are, children go to the parks, children wait for the school bus, and where children live,” said Zeveney.
Zeveney and Tarabour are part of the Stop Fairview Crematorium group. Their biggest concern is what they may potentially breathe in.
“They’re incinerating bodies that have had either chemical radiation or radioactive seeds for treating prostate cancer,” said Tarabour.
“A toxic incinerator that burns human remains every day for 12 hours a day does not belong anywhere near where our children live, sleep, learn, and play,” said Zeveney.
Fair View Cemetery, located in Middletown, wants to build a 1,500-square-foot crematorium on vacant land adjacent to its existing cemetery. Management declined to speak to PIX11 News.
The land for the proposed crematorium is also near several schools. Two have signed an open letter of opposition, citing health concerns.
Legislation, currently with a state Senate subcommittee, would potentially derail the project. The bill would require crematoriums to be built at least 1,000 feet away from residential neighborhoods and schools.
New Jersey law only allows crematoriums to be located on cemetery property. Tarabour said anyone who lives near a cemetery should be concerned.
“It’s a statewide issue,” said Tarabour. “I mean, it’s in Middletown today. It could be in your town tomorrow.”
If approved by the Middletown Planning Board, the project still needs review by several entities, including the Township of Middletown Sewerage Authority, NJDEP, and Freehold Soil Conservation District.
