Update: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced on Dec. 9 that it has postponed the public hearing regarding the Princeton Memorial Park Crematorium draft permit, a hearing originally scheduled for Dec, 19 at the Trenton Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Per NJDEP, “a new date for the public hearing will be announced after the facility has had the opportunity to communicate this proposed project with the Township of Robbinsville.”
The DEP said it “will retain all written comments already submitted and any additional comments received by Dec, 31, 2024 as the closing date of the public comment period.”
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Original (Dec. 3. 2024): The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a public hearing on Thursday, Dec. 19 at the Ancient Order of Hibernians, located at 2419 Kuser Road in Hamilton, regarding the permit application submitted by the Princeton Memorial Park Association to build a crematorium on the Gordon Road cemetery site, which is near Sharon Elementary School.
There have been conversations, many of which have taken place on social media, about why we do not speak up, or speak louder, when there is an application people may not like before the Land Use Board. The answer is simple: we will be sued. Just because we do not like something does not mean we can attempt to sabotage it. That is the easiest path to litigation, and possibly end up with something worse—such as a plan for an even larger facility. That scenario has happened to us in the past.
What we did a few years ago when the cemetery wanted to expand is we stopped that expansion by using our Open Space Fund. We fought the cemetery, and ultimately won. We bought that land, which is the only reason that the cemetery does not surround the entire school today. The only effective way the Township could stop it was to use open space to give Sharon School that buffer. There is very limited space in New Jersey, which is why the state is bullish on crematoriums in cemeteries. Princeton Memorial Park was there long before me, and long before the Turnpike expanded. However, we did what we could to contain what was there and make the best of the situation. The proposed crematorium is small, much smaller than what the DEP could allow.
We want to be smart, which is why we are very careful about our words at Council meetings and on social media, which is where too many people want us to litigate these matters. We cannot do that. Everything we put on social media can and will be used against us. This is not the time for inflammatory rhetoric. As Councilman Hal English dutifully pointed out at the Nov. 14 Council meeting, “It’s disingenuous to post a petition with a picture of an old factory smokestack with black smoke coming out just to stir up the residents. There is no smokestack (associated with the permit). There (will be) no black smoke coming out. I don’t want to call it dishonest, but it is disingenuous.”
These applicants have smart attorneys. Thus, we are quiet, and we are careful, which is why we do not always say what we may be thinking.
Trust me, no one on Council or in my administration woke up one day and said: “You know what? A crematorium would be awesome right next to our elementary school.” But we are dealing with the situation as best we can and playing the hand we have been dealt. We did not love the N.J. Turnpike expansion either, but we did the best we could with a bad situation.
I wish things were different, but not even the school district has put forth a complaint about the actual permitted use. Yes, there was an incorrect mailing address – an address the school district provided and never changed on our tax rolls.
They are tax exempt, so we completely understand how that element of this discussion was missed. However, the courts have consistently ruled that address issue is not enough to send it back to the Land Use Board. Even if we could do that, we may end up with an even worse result.
New Jersey’s policy clearly is to support crematoriums in established cemeteries because they feel it is the best thing to do for the State. The DEP plays a significant role in the process and is giving anyone interested an opportunity to be heard regarding this particular matter.
Exercise your voice on Dec. 19 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Dave Fried is the mayor and Director of Public Safety for Robbinsville Township.
Princeton Memorial Park has proposed a human remains crematorium near Sharon School on Gordon Road. (Photo from Google Maps.),
