Posted on Saturday, July 1, 2006

Crematorium Eyes Richmond

CONTRA COSTA TIMES
By John Geluardi

About 60 North Richmond residents rallied this week against a planned crematorium that would emit several pounds of mercury near homes and youth centers. Stewart Enterprises, owner of the Neptune Society and one of the top three funeral corporations in America, is seeking a zoning ordinance change to allow one of the busiest crematoriums in the state to move from Emeryville to 1151 Hensley St. in Richmond. The City Council is to consider the zoning change July 18.

At Thursday's rally, community leaders discussed how to oppose the crematorium. They plan a letter writing campaign, a petition drive and a large turnout at the council meeting.

At its Emeryville facility last year, Neptune cremated 3,000 bodies, emitting 3.3 pounds of mercury from dental fillings, according to Bay Area Air Quality Control District estimates. The Hensley Street location is a few blocks from a child development center licensed for 60 infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Also nearby is a community center and soccer field.
Mercury is particularly hazardous to children's developing nervous systems and brains, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Neptune regional vice president Bill Farrar, said last week that studies show the cremation process is safe. Attempts to reach Farrar for comment Friday were not successful.

North Richmond community leaders said their neighborhood is already too heavily affected by pollutants from nearby industries such as the Chevron refinery and General Chemical. "We are talking about protecting our children and seniors," said Henry Clark, the executive director of the West County Toxics Coalition. "This is toxic terrorism. We don't want any mercury emitted into this community, and we are going to let the city council know it."

North Richmond resident Evelyn Cotton volunteered to take a petition door to door. "I would like to see this community stand up for something," she said.

Councilman Richard Griffin said he did not approve of the Hensley Street site. "I can't say yet how I'm going to vote, but that does not sound like the right place," he said. "You have to be very careful where you site those kinds of things and I don't know if we have any place in Richmond that would be appropriate for something like that."

The Planning Commission approved the zoning change June 1, but the planning department's report to the panel did not include the crematorium's proposed location.

"They thought they were going to do this on the down low -- zip it through, and by the time we found out about it, it would be too late," said Lee Jones, chairman of the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council.

Planners were not trying to hide information, said Assistant City Attorney Mary Renfro, but they were overwhelmed with other projects and did not have time to thoroughly research the proposal.

Councilwoman Gayle Mclaughlin said the planning department does not pay attention to projects proposed for low-income neighborhoods.

"I'm very concerned about the direction planning has been going," she said. "Proposals for affluent areas along the shoreline get the research, and areas like North Richmond, which have borne the brunt of heavy pollution, are not focused on." [emphasis added]

Contact John Geluardi at 510-262-2787 or at jgeluardi@cc times.com .