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With no requirements for burial vaults at the Reed Hatch Memorial Cemetery, Holly Hatch, cemetery coordinator for the Town of Taylor, brought concerns of the potential effect green burials would have upon the cemetery to the Taylor Town Council at the April 4 meeting.
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“Green burial is the practice of burying a body that has not been embalmed in a biodegradable casket or container,” shared Hatch. “The container can be a willow basket, cardboard box, a shroud or even an unfinished pine wood box with an open bottom.”
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To be considered a green burial, the body is only buried 3 feet 5 inches into the ground, instead of the standard 6 feet, with the grave hand dug and the dirt layered back over the body in the same way it came out of the earth.
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Since the cemetery currently does not require a vault, Hatch expressed concerns that the town could become liable if they chose not to allow a green burial. She also noted that the decaying body could produce odors as well as contamination of the ground and groundwater.
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“No other cemetery in the area will let you bury a body without a vault,” said Hatch. “With our reasonable plot fees, we are going to have more and more requests for this type of burial.”
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Mayor Dave Smith said he liked the idea of a vault to protect the body from the grave being dug next to it.
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Councilman Shawn Palmer had issue with the odor and contamination. “As far as facts, when you bury a dog or horse, that decomposition takes place in the ground but it doesn’t hurt the well water and there is no smell. But I agree with what Dave is saying, it can create a heck of a situation if someone is being buried on either side or if the backhoe operator misses a bit.”
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Vice Mayor Carl Cosper expressed his concern about the vault requirement raising the cost of burial by as much as $700 but also noted, “If we require a burial vault, then we are not liable for telling someone who wants to do a green burial no.”
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The council voted unanimously to require burial vaults with no stipulation as to what type of vault. As noted by Town Manager Gus Lundberg, the town will not be selling the vaults.
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