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Crematorium Location Near Fast Food Restaurants Sparking Debate

MARYSVILLE (CBS13) – Some residents in Marysville are disturbed by a new crematorium about to start operating in town.  It's not necessarily the fact that a crematorium is opening that is sparking debate, it's the location, next to fast food restaurants.

After more than a year, Lakeside Colonial Chapel got approval to open the crematorium from the city of Marysville.

"We want to bring life back to the city," said Andre Semenyuk, owner of the chapel. "In order to sustain business and help families you just have to have your own crematorium."

The owner says more than 80 percent of his clients prefer cremation and it's more economical to provide the service themselves.

In the past, bodies were being sent to the nearest crematorium in Olivehurst.

"Just like any other business, we want it all done ourselves," said Semenyuk.

After more than a year, Lakeside finally got the city's approval.

"Looking over and seeing that there's bodies being cremated over there is kind of weird," one resident said.

But the Feather River Air Quality Management district says the latest cremation technology makes the burning of bodies nearly unnoticeable. The cremation machine is required to burn so hot it will actually cause the toxic fumes to combust, so instead of seeing dark puffs of smoke, you should only see a heat wave coming out of the chimney.

And how about an odor? Would the smell disrupt lunch breaks? Air quality managers say it shouldn't cause any problems.

Despite mixed reactions, the owner says the crematorium could be up and running in the next three months.

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