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Way cleared for funeral parlour at Diamond
The owners of Carmen’s Funeral Home at Little Diamond have finally received all
The newly established Carmen’s Funeral Home is now open for business.
documentation and permissions necessary to open for business. The owners are Petal and Hilton Coates and Kavita Chase.
The building which once housed a night spot named ‘Sweetness 2000’ was converted into a funeral parlour just a few weeks ago.
Despite an opening ceremony last month, the Directors of the home were warned by the Ministry of Health to desist from opening their doors for business until they receive all the necessary documentation. They were however given verbal consent.
Kaieteur News understands that some residents of Little Diamond had petitioned to prevent the building being converted to a funeral parlour.
Arrangements were subsequently made for the residents of the community to meet with members of the Little Diamond/ Herstelling Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Central Board of Health (CBH) as well as the Ministry of Housing.
During the meeting persons voiced concerns about the disposal of waste water and other materials and chemicals used to bathe and groom the dead.
This was an important issue for residents in the community since a number of them would usually conduct fishing activities in the nearby waterways.
It was stressed that the proprietors of the business should install a holding bin (septic tank) to treat not only the water used to bathe the dead, but the other chemicals before they commence business.
This was later done and permission to conduct business was granted by the EPA, NDC and the Ministry of Housing. However, until recently the Central Board of Health was still to give its permission.
This publication was made to understand that the Home already has one corpse.
The building which is located on the Little Diamond public road, adjacent to the entrance of ‘Skull City’, was recently sold to the three youngest members of the Coates family and transformed into a funeral home.
Petal Coates, one of the Directors of the establishment, told Kaieteur News that it was the death of their mother, Carmen Coates, that inspired them to open such an entity.
“We know what it is like to lose a loved one, or loved ones; we are sensitive to the needs of people who face such a loss, and like our mother, we are not only here to provide a service, but we are also here to comfort, support and cater for the needs of people in their grieving stage,” said Hilton Coates, the other Director.
Mr. Coates admitted that opening a funeral home was not the first thing that came to mind when he and his two sisters, Petal Coates and Kavita Chase, purchased the building.
He joked that given that it was originally designed to house a bar, their initial idea was just to enhance the place and make it nicer, give it an ‘American feel’.
However, a conversation between the siblings about their mother and the many loved ones that they have lost in the past, led to the idea of opening a funeral home, where they can give comfort and help those who would face similar loses, recover.
The Directors say that they have already planned to adopt the two nearby burial grounds.
The Coates noted that the Home can cater for six bodies at a time, but that they will install more freezers as business develops. A coffin and casket gallery is in place.
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