HICC to expand and add 'cremorial' garden

Members of the Holiday Island Community Church (HICC) at 188 Stateline Drive have plans to expand their facility and add what is a called a "cremorial."
The cremorial will contain 96 slots for urns for cremated remains.
There are also plans to build a 7,000-square-foot two-story fellowship hall, with classrooms and eating area.
Church member Nick Roster and architect Larry Troillett attended Friday's Holiday Island Planning Commission (HIPC) and brought in a set of plans for the expansion.
The hall will be built adjacent to the existing church building and will have a covered walkway between the two.
The cremorial will be part of a garden design to go with the complex.
Roster said the church had contacted the state to see if there are any restrictions on having a cremorial. He was told the state had none, but they should check with the state health department.
That office told him approval is a matter of notifying the Carroll County Quorum Court about the plans, and the matter does not need to be voted on.
Each section of the cremorial, Roster said, has 24 openings or 12 "companion" openings. The structure is slightly elevated above ground, and each opening has a barrier aroundit and is watertight, sealed with a brass top.
The design includes future expansion beyond the original 96 openings.
"We're hoping to pre-sell them," Roster said.
He added he has met with Attorney Wade Williams to go over legal contracts for the cremorial openings.
Fellowship hall plans include additional parking.
"There will be a walk-in level on the upper parking lot," said Troillett. "There will also be a walk-in on the lower level and additional parking."
The fellowship hall plans also include a small, non-commercial residential elevator, capable of holding 750 pounds, for handicapped access between floors.
Chairman Joe Schuler questioned whether the elevator would be adequate for the church's needs.
"You might think about whether you need to transport audio-visual carts," he said. "I'm just thinking about this from my engineering perspective."
Troillett said there is a $25,000 difference between the planned elevator and a commercial elevator, and "that is a factor."
The lower level of the fellowship hall will have a kitchen similar to the one in the Clubhouse, Roster said. A grease trap will be built in.
He said the cremorial garden and the fellowship hall are considered two separate projects, and the church membership will vote on them separately on Aug. 8. A bid is being put out for the fellowship hall construction.
If the membership approves a bid, Roster will return at a later date for a permit. Troillett left a set of plans with the commission.
In other business, HIPC:
The commission meets every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. in the Park next to Wade Williams' office at Holiday Island. Requests are considered on a first-come, first-served basis.