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Letter to the editor

County pursues a balance

DOWNTOWN The commission wants rulesthat work for crematories and their neighbors.

By Alexandra Zayas Times Staff Writer
Published October 26, 2007

The Environmental Protection Commission has spent the past six months researching ways to tighten air pollution restrictions on crematories.

Officials updated county commissioners last week on the process that began in the spring, when the growing number of crematories in Tampa dominated City Council discussion and worried neighbors about air quality.

The state had relaxed its permitting process in January, so anyone with a working crematory machine could get approval in a month.

In February and March, two crematories popped up in East Ybor City and city officials feared the neighborhood could become "crematory row."

Neighbors of the Florida Mortuary in Seminole Heights spoke out about smoke and odor.

So the EPC began to investigate.

Crematory smokestacks shoot up to 5 tons of dust into the sky per year, but if machines are built efficiently, no smoke should be visible.

"You shouldn't be able to see anything from these stacks. But every now and then there might be an occasional puff from start-off," the EPC's Sterling Woodard told the commission. "The state allows them to have that occasional puff."

County officials want to provide local rules that are tighter than the state's. Among the possibilities Woodard presented were zoning and setback restrictions.

"The closer these crematories are to residential properties and businesses, the more of a nuisance or problem they might be," Woodard said.

Additional options include tighter emission standards and testing requirements, more operator training and giving neighbors more notice of when a crematory is moving into a neighborhood.

The commissioners urged simplicity in coming up with rules. Adding 30 regulations to crematories that already abide by state law could make it difficult for them to operate, Commissioner Jim Norman said.

It would be a bad scenario if crematories began to shut down, Norman said. "You're going to hear an uprising from families that is beyond belief."

Woodard said officials are looking at restrictions that wouldn't burden the businesses financially.

Commissioner Kevin White said that in his research with existing crematories, 95 percent of the fixes can come from better employee training.

If an operator understands how to adjust the furnace temperature according to body size and fat content, fewer puffs will be emitted.

White said he's not interested in a long list of regulations. Neither is Commissioner Rose Ferlita.

"Blend appeasing the complaints and also making small business owners survive," she told Woodard. "Let's come back. Let's look at it. If the tighter restrictions are too onerous, we're not going to do that."

The commission will review a final list of rules Dec. 13.

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at azayas@sptimes.com or 226-3354.

[Last modified October 25, 2007, 07:18:55]