Seems like both the Bainbridge Island community and City Council are tired of fake news that has been so prevalent the past few years.

Each wants to take the time to separate fact vs. fiction when it comes to crematoriums. So the council voted April 23 for a six-month moratorium on crematoriums to do just that.

So many people made public comments on the issue that for the first time in recent memory, comments were limited to two minutes instead of three. Most of the comments were in favor of a moratorium so time could be taken to research the facts.

Many on the council actually seemed to understand the need for such a facility, while at the same time also wanting more facts.

“I’m not a NIMBY (not in my backyard) and don’t encourage NIMBY behavior,” Councilmember Ashley Mathews said, adding more information could alleviate some fears. She said she’s already learned a lot about the issue after it was first brought up a few weeks ago. Prior to this, her knowledge was limited to the HBO Show “6 Feet Under,” she said, smiling. She said the council needs to hear from experts on topics like emissions because “Anxiety is at an all-time high.”

Councilmember Brenda Fantroy-Johnson said, “This is very emotional for me right now. We all deserve a chance to decide how we want to end up.” She said when she moved to BI from New York she knew people here are “in a bubble” but the council needs to be responsible and provide what’s needed in the community. “I hear it already coming,” she said. “How far can we push this out so we never have to do it?” She said they need to hear from experts who don’t have a stake in the claim. Fantroy-Johnson said the city needs to take care of its own instead of “shipping our dead people” to other states “because we don’t have a place here to do that.”

Councilmember Leslie Schneider said she dealt with this issue with her father with a crematorium located in a residential area. She said she was grateful for that family business. She said it creates a hardship for grieving families when there are a lack of services nearby. “There’s a need on the island for this, and we need to be fair about how to meet this need.”

Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos said she researched the topic for 15 hours online, so she’s not just “acting out of emotion.” She said there is a need for more crematoriums, but those in residential areas have been there for a long time – some even 100 years. Newer ones are being placed in industrial areas, and those near residences have farther setbacks.

Councilmember Clarence Moriwaki said the council is receiving conflicting information so more time is needed with a moratorium. While it’s important for one to be appropriately located due to air quality and public health, it’s an important topic that needs to be discussed in a respectful and civil manner. “It’s so hard because this is about cadavers.”

Deputy mayor Jon Quitslund said at first he didn’t like the idea, but has since found out it’s an urgent need. It’s of interest to the Kitsap County coroner and other communities, making it a regional issue. To make the best and fairest decision information needs to be presented on all sides. “Nobody has a right to their own facts,” he said.

A city memo says crematoriums are not in city code, but there is interest in bringing one to BI, however neighbors have objected. A public hearing will take place during the moratorium, and there will be a pause in accepting applications.

Public comments

Almost 20 people talked during public comments, with only three supporting a crematorium. While the others did not seem to be in favor of one, they did emphasize the need for more information and the moratorium. A common concern was air emissions, and it’s better to regulate before a crematorium goes in rather than after. Some called for a permanent ban because there’s no compelling reason to have one.

Kent Scott said an incinerator is incompatible in a residential zone and is inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan regarding security, quality of life, safety and beauty. Ron Peltier said even the county has a 200-foot requirement between a crematorium and housing or businesses. Rafael Escandon said the community deserves to know not only the harmful effects but also benefits of such a facility.

Joe McMillan was dead set against it being in a conservation area that is supposed to preserve the natural environment. Bill Chamberlain said since there are no codes to deal with crematoriums that puts a lot of pressure on the planning department. Michael bryan-brown encouraged people to look at human body composition, which has lower impacts than cremation, he said, adding Washington state is the first to legalize it.

Lisa Macchio said rather than cremation she plans to go the composting route. The former Planning Commission member and employee with the Environmental Protection Agency said the EPA often under-regulates things. She said the best thing the city can do is fix code to include crematoriums and also update definitions in code for things like funeral homes.

The three who spoke in favor of crematoriums were Tim Dinan and his wife Alison Hahn, who own Crook Family Funeral Home, which is interested in the crematorium, and Jeff Wallis of the county Medical Examiner’s Office.

Dinan said his company is very environmentally friendly, having the first and only green cemetery on the Peninsula. He asked people to do their homework because a crematorium is needed, technology is more efficient, and many are located in residential areas.

Hahn said BI has a responsibility to take care of its own instead of impacting other communities. She said a crematorium is long overdue. “You can’t continue to live in a bubble and think our dead magically disappear,” she said.

Wallis said there are only three crematoriums in the county, so half its bodies have to be shipped out to be cremated. The county sends its indigents to a wholesale facility in Kent, but they recently were turned away due to too much business.