Claremont
Tina Rock, whose son, Brandon, died in a car accident in August 2014, erected the small enclosure with plastic sheeting on the sides and placed it at the grave at Mountain View Cemetery the last two winters.
Last year, however, the Department of Public Works, said it could not be used again.
The ordinance revises the one created in 1989 on rules and regulations for city-owned cemeteries. Changes include prohibiting drone use in the air space, the use of ATVs or other motorized vehicles except on cemetery roads or the erection of fences, curbs, shrines, structures or buildings on the ground or any plot. The city can remove such structures without notice, the ordinance reads.
Several residents objected to the changes at the council meeting, including Rock, who met with city officials last winter and made recommendations for revising the ordinance, including allowing up to three temporary structures per cemetery on a first come, first serve basis. Rock argued that if cared for properly and removed in the spring, structures should not be a source of controversy.
“The grieving process does not stop due to inclement weather conditions,” Rock wrote.
At the council meeting, Rock told councilors she requested rule changes but was not pleased with how they are written, adding that they work hard to keep the grave site looking nice.
“Me and my family take care of everything,” she said of her son’s grave and surrounding area. “Some of these rules are crazy.”
She also opposed closing the cemetery at night, though that rule was not new.
Another resident, Debra Chase, said mourning is a highly personal emotion and the city should not create rules that infringe on that process.
“We don’t tell each other how to mourn,” Chase said. “We mourn in different ways.”
The rules did have several defenders who told the council there has to be limit on what is allowed at the cemetery otherwise things will get out of hand.
“I think we needs laws and rules,” resident Tom Wansleben said.
He said he does not oppose allowing people to “grieve in their own way” but compared some grave sites to having the appearance of a “yard sale.”
“If we have structures, where will it end. I think it is a good decision and I think it is fair,” Wansleban said of the ordinance.
Bill Matthews also believes strongly in cemetery rules.
“You can’t just do what you want to do and get away with it,” Matthews said.
While Christine Hooper accused the city of trying to “micromanage” what is appropriate for each plot, Jill Davidson said the committee that wrote the ordinance did a nice job.
Interim Public Works Director Scott Sweet said some of the objections were off base. For instance, people are permitted to place small items such as toys or other memorabilia on a grave so long as no items spill out on to the area outside the plot, Sweet said after the meeting.
The council listened to the comments, but before beginning a discussion, councilor Nick Koloski made a motion to table the item until city attorney Jane Taylor was present to answer question. The motion passed, 6-2. Mayor Charlene Lovett was absent.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com
