The Grayville City Council met in special session Thursday night, all commissioners and the Mayor were present.
On the agenda was an Amendment to Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Permit Request for the R2 District, seeking approval of installation of a Pet Cremation Facility to be located at 225 W. Sycamore St. The owner of the proper, Mr. Muncie, was in attendance to address the Council’s questions and concerns.
Some of the questions from the Commissioners and Mayor concerned the scope of the cremations to be held on location, if there would be an issue with odor, and the timeline to be in operation by; should the amendment be approved.
Mr. Muncie explained the system as being constructed of a Primary Burner Box, which is a concrete box that runs at a maximum temperature of about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. This is where the animal would be placed for the cremation process. Then a secondary burner box with flue, filters the carbon and remaining particulates. When properly operating, malfunction free, the result is little to no odor. The equipment would be running on Natural Gas. He also said the scope of the business would be small house pets, however, the equipment has multiple possible functions, including disposal of medical waste.
Mr. Muncie stated he had spoken with all but a couple of his neighbors about his proposed crematorium, and none had voiced any concerns. The equipment would be housed behind his shop, preferably in a repurposed industrial metal shed located on the property; and a privacy fence would be erected, although the business would mostly cater to Veterinarian Services and not the general public.
When asked about a timeline to be up and running, Mr. Muncie said the equipment would be delivered within 10 weeks of placing the order, followed by a week of assembly. He is hoping to see the system operational by sometime Spring 2021.
At this time research is still being done into which regulatory body or bodies would handle this sort of business, but Illinois has an old permit system that has been in the process of updating to accommodate the fairly new concept of pet cremation. It will also be held in compliance by the EPA due to potential for air pollution.
The Council unanimously approved moving forward with a public hearing and first reading on this matter to be scheduled for a future session.
The Grayville City Council next meets in Regular Session on January 25th at 7:00 p.m. at the Grayville City Hall.
