Intelligencer Journal
Lancaster New Era
By Tim Mekeel, Staff Writer
Feb 05, 2010
Responding to requests from its customers, Charles F. Snyder Funeral Homes Inc. is adding a crematory to its Lititz Pike location.
The $650,000 project will make the facility the county's only funeral home with a crematory, witnessing room and chapel under one roof.
"As part of our services, we've always offered cremation. But we had to take (the body) to a local crematory" in Leola, said general manager Chad Snyder, a licensed funeral director.
"We felt it's time to do it ourselves. We lose that point of control when we outsource it," he explained Thursday.
The Charles F. Snyder staff will be certified by the Cremation Association of North America.
Having the whole procedure done by Charles F. Snyder staff will give the deceased's family "peace of mind," said Snyder.
The crematory, witnessing room (where loved ones can watch the body get placed in the cremation unit) and chapel will be constructed in an 1,800-square-foot section of the existing 13,500-square-foot facility.
President Chip Snyder, also a licensed funeral director, said the crematory is a clean operation, creating no smoke or fumes.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has approved the project, he added.
Besides renovating part of the current building, the project will add 4,000 square feet to the facility, to provide indoor parking for the facility's 12-vehicle fleet, extra storage, new rooms and new hallways.
Groundbreaking is set for 2 p.m. Monday. Completion is set for mid-June. Benchmark Construction is the general contractor. The project architect is Cornerstone Design-Architects.
Charles F. Snyder Funeral Homes, with additional sites on East King Street in downtown Lancaster and on North George Street in Millersville, opened its 3110 Lititz Pike site 10 years ago.
The one-floor location, opposite Brethren Village, employs 12 full-time workers. The project is expected to create two jobs.
http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/248337