The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) welcomes the idea of a modern crematorium being established in Le Repentir Cemetery.
The proposed site for the crematorium is on the old site of the mortuary and the municipal compound and will house a chapel, non-denominational annex, cold storage space for nine bodies, preparation room, offices, viewing room, display room, waiting area, cafeteria and parking area.
The project is exclusively a private initiative and City Hall has already given approval for its process Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, said yesterday. Green also added that the crematorium will be a modern facility with furnaces, unlike the open-air wood burning crematoriums currently used in Guyana.
It is likely to be powered by gas or electricity and will have the capacity to carry out four to six cremations daily.
Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said the council hopes the proposed initiative begins as soon as possible. But noted that the proposal still has to go to the Engineer’s Department and the Ministry of Works. Chase-Green also said that the M&CC will not be responsible for the maintenance of the structure, instead that would be taken care of by the private investors.
The project is expected to take three to six months to complete once the required permission has been received, a copy of the proposal stated.
The proposal also pointed to the importance of the crematorium given the limited space in Le Repentir Cemetery, which is in need of repair. It said as well that the cost of cremations would be favourable.
Environmental concerns as it pertains to space and the growing acceptance of cremation among many religious groups are some of the other advantages that were mentioned.
The M&CC’s last statutory meeting for the year, scheduled for Monday, December 24, was cancelled for lack of a quorum.
