Should You Play Sports Near Dead People?

Citizens are all up in arms about Afrim Nezaj’s recent plans to build sports fields near a cemetery on shaker road. Why? My guess is they are afraid the loud sports games might wake the dead?

Nezaj claims that his new sports complex will not interfere with cemetery events and also bring much benefit to the area. But regardless of what benefits Nezaj brings to the table the town’s people still feel strongly about not allowing him to build.

“The town denied a building permit for the project at 969 Watervliet Shaker Road, but Nezaj has appealed to the Zoning Board, which meets at 7 p.m. Thursday at the town's Public Operations Center, 347 Old Niskayuna Road.

‘I can't imagine people would be that insensitive,’ said Marlene Elacqua, a member of the cemetery's board of directors. ‘We have 32,000 burials. If completely developed, it would be close to 60,000. We're not against sports complexes. That's not the issue. It's the location’.” –TU

I’m still uncertain to why this is such a big issue. I know none of my loved ones are laid to rest in this cemetery so maybe my unbiased opinion doesn't matter. However, it doesn't appear that that Nezaj will be parking cars on people’s graves or putting foam fingers on the bodies and forcing them to cheer on each game at the complex. I say we leave this vote up to the current “residence” of the cemetery.