By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – A scheduled hearing concerning a crematorium that has been proposed in Manalapan did not take place as scheduled at the May 9 meeting of the Manalapan Environmental Commission.
Residents who came to the municipal building that evening to listen to a presentation by representatives of the Old Tennent Cemetery Association, which is proposing to convert an existing building on the grounds of the Old Tennent Church into a crematorium, only heard an announcement that nothing would occur that evening.
Attorney Edward Liston, of Toms River, representing the cemetery association, asked the environmental commission members to adjourn the hearing. Liston referred to a communication he had received late that afternoon from attorney Steven Gouin, of the firm Giordano, Halleran and Ciesla, Red Bank.
Gouin represents Stop the Manalapan Crematorium Inc., which is an objector to the cemetery association’s application.
“The objector (Stop the Manalapan Crematorium) let me know today at 4:30 p.m. that they had an expert’s report,” Liston said. “I had never seen that report. For me to go forward (tonight) would allow them to ambush the applicant. The environmental commission did the fair thing by adjourning the hearing. Our reports have been on file (for several months). Everyone will have all the reports next time. That is the fair thing to do.”
The commission set June 13 as the date when it will conduct a hearing on the crematorium plan. Commission Chairwoman Jenine Tankoos told residents in attendance that the commission’s task is to review development plans to identify potential environmental concerns.
Tankoos said the environmental commission members will not make a decision on the crematorium application. After hearing from the applicant and its representatives and from members of the public, the commission will provide a non-binding resolution to the Planning Board, which may be asked to consider the application at some point.
The resolution will be a recommendation that may be accompanied by contingencies and/or suggested amendments to the application being considered, she said.
Although the crematorium application is not before the Township Committee for consideration, the members of the governing body released a statement on May 4 to let residents know where they stand on the issue.
The committee’s statement said, “Old Tennent Cemetery has renewed its efforts to build a crematorium at its cemetery. The township’s land use ordinance does not permit cremation facilities anywhere in the township. The Township Committee has made clear that it does not want such facilities to be permitted here. The position of Old Tennent Cemetery is that New Jersey state law permits it to have a crematory, despite the fact that it is prohibited by the township.”
Representatives of the Old Tennent Cemetery Association have said the association wants to convert an existing building on the church property on Tennent Road into a crematorium that would contain two retorts (cremation chambers). The plan calls for a 1,300-square-foot addition to the existing building.
The applicant is seeking permission from state agencies to conduct up to 600 cremations per year, according to Liston.
The current application for the crematorium mirrors one that came before municipal officials several years ago, but on which no decision was rendered. The environmental commission raised many issues after hearing the proposal for the facility.
When the application for the crematorium reached the Planning Board, the board members said they would not hear it until the environmental commission’s concerns had been addressed. The cemetery association subsequently withdrew the application.
