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Architect: Crematorium is safe
The crematory services that Borja Funeral Home is proposing to operate in the Chalan Kanoa area “is safe for the village and is very compatible” with zoning law, according to Saipan architect Herman Cabrera.
“It is zoned as village commercial and surrounded by hotels, stores and village houses. The proposed location of the Borja Funeral Home is now legally a village commercial due to Saipan Local Law 18-20,” Cabrera told Saipan Tribune yesterday at his office in Garapan.
Cabrera said the funeral home will be about 300 to 400 feet south of Mt. Carmel Cathedral and close to both the Daidai Social Hall and the cemetery so the compatibility for the crematory services to be in that location is very good.
Cabrera also pointed out that the building where the crematorium will be located has 8-inch thick walls and is a Type 1 fire resistant building.
“All activities will be kept inside the concrete building. Noise decibel is very low and almost zero. Noise will not affect the outside environment,” Cabrera said. “The building meets all required building codes and it is in line with the Saipan Zoning Law’s parking stalls.”
He also assured that no harmful substances will be emitted once the crematorium starts operating.
The machine that Borja Funeral Home proposes to use is a thermal dynamic machine, which Cabrera said can burn and evaporate during cremation and will not emit any harmful substances.
“There are already those regulatory bodies here on Saipan and they are the ones to determine whether it is safe or not, but all in all it cannot be a harm to the community in CK because there are a lot of crematoriums elsewhere among residential areas,” Cabrera said.
The Saipan Zoning board pushed the crematory services application for further discussions and review at a later date.
