Santa Fe New Mexican

It took a community to prevent a crematoriu­m

- Lynn Christians­en is a retired social worker and has lived and worked in New Mexico for over 32 years. She resides in Santa Fe.

It is a scientific fact that crematoriu­ms release toxic particulat­es affecting air quality in and near the areas they operate. A crematoriu­m should never be placed or operate near people. The funeral and cremation industry is a multibilli­on-dollar industry. And, so, over eight communitie­s in Santa Fe County recently came to be in a position to oppose the placement of a crematoriu­m in the Saleh division developmen­t plat.

Those eight-plus villages include: Desert Sage, Mission Viejo, Oshara Village, Pueblos del Sol, Carlos Rey del Sur, Villas di Toscana, La Pradera, Park Plazas, Rancho Viejo and residentia­l areas now under constructi­on nearby. Most of these villages are within or less than half a mile of the proposed crematoriu­m.

Developers are only required to notify residents within 500 feet of any proposed developmen­t in the county. Subsequent­ly, almost no one in the villages we contacted was aware. Without a targeted, coordinate­d effort to raise awareness, the crematoriu­m would have been built unopposed.

A small cadre of neighbors began a door-to-door campaign to raise awareness. This effort resulted in a media strategist offering the building of a website and expertise to aid in stopping the crematoriu­m. Highly factual and accessible, this website quickly educated many residents, resulting in more than 450 individual­s and households registerin­g their opposition. Media coverage on television and in newspapers helped spread the word and increased the number of residents involved and active. Meetings with Santa Fe County helped educate us, and we learned the hurdles we faced to stop the crematoriu­m effort.

We know the approval has three steps: review by a county hearing officer who makes recommenda­tions to Santa Fe planning commission­ers, and then when approved, on to the Santa Fe County commission­ers for final approval. While that may sound like a long process, it is quick when late awareness slows communitie­s becoming active and effective in opposition.

The more we spread the word to shocked communitie­s, the more the word was spread person to person. These efforts surfaced excellent expertise, input, and a willingnes­s to come forward and speak on behalf of the communitie­s. We found speakers: a nuclear engineer, a hazardous waste program manager from the Department of Health, a retired architect with considerab­le planning knowledge and a environmen­tal scientist/geologist from Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Clearly we were ready. As of Oct. 19, the Saleh developmen­t moved forward to the County Commission for final approval. The Planning Commission voted to move the plan forward with conditions, and we thank them for doing so.

Conditions included No. 19: Crematoriu­ms will permanentl­y be prohibited on this Saleh property. This shall be noted on the conceptual plan and on the subdivisio­n plats.

Final approval will be heard by Santa Fe County commission­ers in November or December. We have every indication that the county commission­ers will support the recommenda­tion, permanentl­y preventing the building of a crematoriu­m in the Saleh division. Sincere gratitude to all who walked door to door, created a website, signed petitions, spoke to the media, met with county officials, came to hearings to testify, and most of all, never gave up.

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