by Winnie Hsiu
December 2, 2011 12:12 PM
At this time of year, it's common to read about self storage facilities participating in charitable activities - coat drives, food collection, Tots for Toys with the Marines. They also support collections and donations of money to children's' hospitals and cancer research. They help out with after school programs and create reading rooms to encourage children to improve their reading skills.
You also read about storage facilities having features like climate control and storage for cars, recreational vehicles and boats. Some facilities provide temporary space for businesses to use that even have free Wi-Fi. Some offer space for offices to store goods and shred old documents. Many offer free use of moving trucks and even have free coffee and cookies for customers. All of this is normal.
But have you ever heard about a storage facility adding a crematorium to their facilities?
The Davis Funeral Home on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas submitted an application to the Virgin Island Department of Planning and Natural Resources for a permit to put a crematorium at the Fortress Self Storage Warehouse in Estate Thomas. A hearing will be held December 6 at DPNR's Division of Building Permits at King Airport.
Currently, there isn't a crematorium on St. Thomas. If people on the island want to cremate a loved one, they have to do it in Puerto Rico. This is expensive because not only do people have to pay transportation costs for the body and cremation costs, they have to pay for the body to be embalmed because that was required by law before a body could be transported.
Having a crematorium on the island would resolve those financial issues for people.
The Davis Funeral Home would build a crematorium that would house a propane-fired chamber that can be heated up to at least 1,800 degrees. Depending on the weight of an individual, cremation of an average sized person takes between 2 to 3 hours.
There is a concern about toxic air and pollution being emitted from the crematorium. That, and other issues will be discussed at the hearing.
The Fortress Self Storage Warehouse has been in business for 20 years. They have small, mid-, and large-sized facilities for storing personal and business items. Some of their units have been converted into a small office by self-employed professionals. They also have mailboxes for rent because a great majority of the homes on the island do not have postal delivery.
Sources Used:
"DPNR to hold public hearing about Davis crematorium." Virgin Island Daily News; 1 December 2011.
Fortress Self Storage Warehouse.
Davis Funeral Home.