The owner of a cremation facility got the go-ahead to proceed with plans to build a new crematory this week, but not without objections from a Park Forest village trustee.
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When the matter came before the Village Board several weeks ago, Trustee Katherine Armstrong raised concerns over possible emissions and runoff created by the crematory. Jerry Sullivan, president of the Cremation Society of Illinois, assured the board that his facility would comply with standards set by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.
Sullivan has been operating out of a funeral home in Park Forest since 1983.
Armstrong, who cast the only vote against selling the parcel to the Cremation Society, objected again when the matter came to a vote this week. “This is going to affect people on down the years,” she said.
The village sold the property, in Industry Park on the southeast corner of Orchard and North Streets, for $2,000. Once developed, the land will generate $57,000 in annual tax revenue, according to village estimates.