Overview

The Town of Lloyd is considering allowing a pet crematorium facility to operate on the property next to our elementary school. This would be less than 200 feet from our children’s growing lungs at Highland Elementary School, only 300 feet from our Babe Ruth Little League field across the street, and less than 600 feet from our town fields.

Nowhere else in New York State has a crematorium this close to a school.

This proposal raises significant concerns about the health and safety of our children, our school staff, and the economic well-being of our community.

Health and Safety:

Crematoriums emit pollutants such as PM2.5 from their process of transforming biomass into ash through gas fired incineration. PM2.5 are airborne particulates that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter. They are so dangerous because of their size: they penetrate deep into the lungs and can enter the bloodstream.

Why would it matter so much?

• Children's lungs work differently than adults. They breathe more deeply and more breaths per minute. Their lungs are developing, making their exposure to any kind of emission inherently bad for them, but small particulate matter is especially detrimental as it goes deep into the lungs and accumulates over time.

• No Safe Threshold: Research by the American Lung Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, and a multitude of scientists studying ambient pollution indicates that there is no safe level of PM2.5 exposure.

Even concentrations below current regulatory standards have been associated with adverse health effects.

• Short term increased rates of asthma, skin irritation, allergies, coughing, itching, watery eyes.

• Increased Mortality Risks: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to increased risks of all-cause mortality, as well as deaths from cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory infections.

Read more about air quality concerns + see sources.

Community Considerations:

Over the last year, our town came together to formally adopt our Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan. This involved input from the public, meetings with residents, and a committee to put all of our wonderful hopes for the future of the Town of Lloyd together into a document to guide our choices for the next 10 years.

New York Town Law §272-a(11) requires all zoning laws to be adopted in accordance with the comprehensive plan.

The Town of Lloyd's 2025 Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan emphasizes the importance of protecting public health, safety, and welfare. It advocates for land use decisions that enhance community character, preserve environmental quality, and promote sustainable economic development. The plan also underscores the need to consider the cumulative impacts of development on community resources, including schools and residential neighborhoods.

Read more about how similar issues have been handled in other New York towns.

Economic Concerns:

The presence of a crematorium near our elementary school and residential areas can negatively impact property values, making homes less attractive to potential buyers, as schools are a large part of real estate appeal.

Residents have expressed to the Planning Board that had they known there would be a pet crematorium next to the elementary school, they would have never moved to our town with their families.

Lowered home values and a pet crematorium right on 9W could deter the type of businesses and developments that align with the Town of Lloyd’s Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan. This could affect our tourism and appeal to visitors from the Walkway and Rail Trail. A goal of our shared Comprehensive Plan is to increase tourism and spending by visitors in our town.

Psychological Well-Being

Some studies have shown that even the perceived increase in pollution can negatively impact children and their parents’ levels of anxiety and depression. This will not be something that is completely hidden from sight. It will be operating, next to the school, in the business district on 9W, and open to the public. 

What will be the emotional and psychological effects of having a business like this next to our elementary school? Our elementary school focuses on happiness, joy, and Husky Pride. Children process death and grief differently than adults.

The loss of a family pet can cause behavioral problems, anxiety and depression. Will the knowledge of what this facility does cause them emotional or psychological distress?

This has not been adequately discussed and our concerns for the most vulnerable (physically and emotionally) in this community need to be addressed during this process.

Read more about related psychological studies.