White Marsh residents push back against plans to build a crematorium
BALTIMORE -- Some White Marsh residents have concerns about a plan to build a crematory in their area.
The crematory would be built on Philadelphia Road about 130 feet from a daycare.
Neighborhood residents say their concerns are mostly related to health. They claim that their part of town is already congested and polluted, and adding a crematorium would just make things worse.
The owner of the funeral home says testing shows the potential pollution would meet the state's legal limits.
Anthony Dudek has been living off Philadelphia Road for over 40 years.
He said the last thing he wants to see across the street is a crematorium.
"Having a crematorium right there in the center of your community is a lot of negativity attached to it," Dudek said.
On Wednesday night, there was an informative meeting about proposed plans to build the crematorium.
That's when neighbors met face-to-face with Charlie Evans, the owner of Evans Funeral Chapel and Cremation.
Evans plans to build a crematorium by 2024.
"I want to be a part of this community; I want to serve this community," Evans said.
He said he is trying to be upfront about his plans so that other people will feel comfortable with them.
"Over 55% of the families we care for today want some form of cremation for their final disposition," he said.
But neighbors say the crematorium won't serve them at all. Instead, it will destroy property value and emit toxins, they said.
"There are hundreds of homes within a half a mile of this area," White Marsh resident Heather Patti said.
Wednesday's meeting is the first step in the process of building the crematorium. If plans continue to move forward, then the Maryland Department of the Environment will hold more meetings, including an official public hearing to get comments from neighborhood residents.