(11/10) Apparently it’s OK to bury a pet in one’s back yard, but residents of Hamiltonban came out in force at the November Board of Supervisors meeting to oppose the burying of grandmas in ‘backyards’ in residential areas.
Prior to the creation of public cemeteries in the late 1800s, and when farms were passed down generation to generation, it was traditional for every family to set aside land on farms for the burial of family members. But as farms began to be broken up, and development began, most families opted to un-intern family members and re-intern them into public cemeteries where they could guarantee the dead long-term peace and quiet.
However, one land owner in Hamiltonban decided to bury a relative on a residential lot that is only a ¼ acre in total. He did not use a vault, nor have the body embalmed. This particular site, located at 45 Sloe Gin Road, has set aside room for approximately 20 burial lots. The area is illuminated by solar lights that adjoining neighbors have compared to Friday night football field lights at the high school.
The process of burying a body that is not embalmed or in a vault is known as a "green" burial. It’s less expensive and is a hot trend these days. But residents and Township Supervisors expressed concern about contamination of neighboring wells as the bodies decayed and rainwater carried the remains down into the ground water the wells draw from.
Hamiltonban does not have a zoning ordinance for burying on a residential plot, but the Township Solicitor suggested that Hamiltonban establish a requirement that all cemeteries be at least 10 acres and mandate vaults and embalming be utilized.
The Board of Supervisors told the residents that they were aware of the situation and their concerns. A letter has been drafted that will be sent to the lot owner by the Townships Zoning Officer directing that the body be exhumed and reburied elsewhere.
If the lot owner disregards the direction from the Township, they will be required to pay a fee to cover the cost of a special public meeting of the Township’s Zoning Board to decide on appropriate actions. This all could take more than 60 days to play out.
Supervisors told the assembled residents that all the adjacent property owners of the back yard burial lot in question will be notified by mail if a special zoning meeting will be held. A traditional public notice sign will also be placed on the property advertising the meeting, and its location, date and time.
