Crematories Debated at Monday's County Council Meeting

Monday night's County Council meeting found dozens of Shipley's Choice residents in the council chambers with more listening from the hallway as council members addressed Bill 53-11 pertaining to the zoning of crematories and funeral establishments.

The residents of the Millersville community are concerned about a new crematorium being built in an office park near Shipley’s Choice, called Maryland Cremation Services.

Among the concerns expressed by some residents who spoke Monday was the issue of air quality, with ash puffing out of smokestacks into the nearby air.

A held on the proposed crematory in May at the Earleigh Heights Fire Hall attracted hundreds of Shipley's residents to voice their concerns.

The council is in the process of drawing a line in the sand on how crematories operate in the county, and one business owner, planning to operate a crematory at Headquarters Drive in Millersville, said they fear the bill would jeopardize their livelihood.

A new state law mandates that funeral establishments be separate from crematories. Under the county’s current law, they are treated the same. But a new proposal introduced by County Council Chairman Dick Ladd would segregate them.

The passage of the bill would only affect new businesses. Established businesses would have to abide by the change if they expand, remodel or make a serious change to the structure of their business.

Ladd introduced the legislation, saying this was a controversial topic, and he had done his homework.

“The use of crematories is growing, but this is still a touchy issue,” he said.

Planning and Zoning Director Larry Tom said his department had no objection to the proposed legislation, and called the science behind the environmental impact of such a business “unclear.”

The owner of the business in question, Dorota Marshall, said she and her family have been the subject of rumors and accusations, which she said were untrue. She said if this bill went through, her business would cease to operate.

“This bill will attempt to take away my livelihood," she said. "This bill not only threatens my livelihood it sets a bad precedent of changing the rules of the game.”

Her husband, Sean Marshall, said he and his family had invested $120,000 into the business. He fears the bill would invalidate that sum.

“It will completely devastate us as a business if this passes,” he said. “It would put our whole future in peril.”

However, when asked by the council, Tom said he didn’t believe the bill would affect the Marshalls from opening.

“My understanding is that this bill would not preclude them from opening,” he said.

Ladd later said this bill was not about a particular person or business, but was a policy the county needed to adopt because of changes in the state law.

Two amendments were added to the bill, one that removes the restriction of hours of operation for crematories and the other removed the date the bill is effective.

Originally, the bill would be applied to crematories not in operation on June 20, 2011. If passed, the bill will take effect 45 days after it becomes law.

"I'm disappointed that this bill has become so politically charged that we've lost sight of the health and well-being for our children for now and for many years in the future," said Shipley's resident Jennifer Whitlock.

The County Council is set to vote on amended Bill 53-11 on Aug. 15 when a final vote will be heard on the matter.

Patch writer Tammy Turner contributed to this article.