ALBANY, N.Y. — The Amigone Funeral Home in the Town of Tonawanda will be allowed to relocate its Sheridan Park Crematory, due to a new piece of legislation that has been signed into law.
New York State Senator Sean Ryan and Assemblyman Bill Conrad made the announcement Tuesday morning. The bill (S.6171B/A.6740), passed both the Senate and Assembly back in June, and was signed into law by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Oct. 26.
Under this legislation, the Amigone Funeral home is able to relocate the crematory to a non-residential area, pending the approval of the town. This legislation also amends New York State law, which prohibits "the construction of new combination funeral home-crematories, and the relocation of those that opened prior to the establishment of this law."
"With the passage of this legislation, the path has been cleared for Amigone to do the right thing for Town of Tonawanda residents and relocate their crematory into a non-residential neighborhood," Ryan said.
"This solution will deliver clean air for the people of Tonawanda while allowing a local business to continue operating under its current business model. It is the culmination of years of activism from Tonawanda residents, and it was made possible by tireless advocacy from their local elected officials. I thank Governor Hochul for signing the bill into law, and I look forward to the Town and the Amigone family working together to finally come to a resolution that suits all parties."
Tonawanda Town Supervisor Joe Emminger added, "This piece of legislation is exactly the reason why the people you put in local and state government matter. For over 10 years the Town Board has fought, on behalf of the residents, to get to where we are today. But it took our State elected officials, Senator Sean Ryan and Assemblyman Bill Conrad, to push it across the finish line. I want to thank the two of them, along with Governor Kathy Hochul, for listening to the needs, concerns and wants of the Town of Tonawanda."
The crematory on Sheridan Drive shut down in 2012 after years of complaints from neighbors. In 2014, the county blocked it from reopening. And in 2016, a judge said it could reopen, and the company worked with the state to meet new emission standards.
Then in September 2020, the pollution control system at the crematory failed, releasing black smoke into the air. The Amigone Funeral Home was later given the green light to resume operations at the crematory by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) back in January.