Alicia Abelson
WMAL.com
TAKOMA PARK, Md. — (WMAL) Thanks to a proposal by city resident Jennifer Beman, Takoma Park may be the first city to have a designated ash scattering garden.
The 54-year-old film maker has proposed what she calls a “scatter garden”, or a designated memorial area where people can scatter their loved ones cremated ashes.
The proposal comes as part of an increase in cremation spaces. According to cremation industry trackers, cremation made up 49% of burial methods in 2015. Cemeteries have started to catch on with the trend too, offering sections where families can release ashes for a fee in scatter gardens, wall niches, burial plots, or underground chambers.
Beman says that the idea came to her following the death of her father-in-law who’s local cemetery in Greenbelt, Md. was at maximum capacity, causing him to be buried in a veterans’ cemetery about 25 miles outside of his hometown.
Jennifer Beman’s vision of a city scatter garden includes 1,000 square feet of an existing garden in the city and a wall with name plaques to commemorate the deceased. The garden would come at a small price, charging a fee to cover the cost of plaque engraving and city registration. Beman estimates that three or four of the 60 city residents that pass each year would opt to have their ashes be scattered in the city garden.
Depending on the design of the proposed scatter garden, the project will need to raise about $10,000-$50,000. So far, more than 160 city residents have signed a petition in support of the scatter garden.
While the project has been receiving a lot of support, there are some skeptics. City Council Member Peter Kovar is worried about the burden the obligation may have on city workers and finances.
Ashes, which are composed of 3-5 lbs. of calcium phosphate baked at 2,000 degrees, are not considered a toxin. Because of modern technology, the cremated remains of loved ones can now be produced into fireworks, coffee mugs, trees, tattoos, and even fake diamonds.
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