City revises Cedar Hill Cemetery decorations policy, but changes may not end controversy
NEWARK − The Cedar Hill Cemetery decoration policy has been revised, but it may not be enough to please those who complained about what they said was the sudden removal of items placed on graves of their loved ones.
The new policy will be enforced in stages in the coming weeks or months. It allows borders near the headstone, temporary grave markers, U.S. flags and mulch, but still only allows live flowers — and no decorations — on or in the ground from April 1 to Oct. 31.
Critics of the cemetery policy and recent enforcement have come to Newark City Council meetings to register their complaints. They have targeted new cemetery superintendent Chance Patznick, saying she has not been truthful about the removal of American flags and decorations.
Megan Pursley, of Heath, disputes Patznick's account that only decorations blown off graves or broken have been removed; that a new enforcement policy had not yet started; that Patznick didn't know about the removal of hundreds of U.S. flags; and that a collection of decorations in or around a dumpster had accumulated there for years.
“They’re all lies," Pursley said. "It’s just lie after lie. I’m not stupid. I understand things happen, but everything came up missing. We found it after we were told it’s gone.
“For me, it’s like losing my son all over again. It’s all gone, just like he’s gone. A few of us have asked for her to be fired because of all the lies.”
Pursley said she found about 70% of her son's items by the dumpster.
Patznick, who became cemetery superintendent three months ago, said the only decorations removed were broken or blown away by March windstorms. She said she did not see U.S. flags tossed on the ground near burn barrels and took care of that as soon as she knew. She said she's trying to improve the cemetery appearance and wants to work with the public to reach a compromise.
"Anything we had taken was wind-blown or damaged," Patznick said. "We wouldn't have been removing (other) items."
Patznick also said everything found near a dumpster had accumulated there over time.
"It's open and not fenced-in," Patznick said. "It's from cleanups from months or years ago. We want to maintain the grounds as best we can and allow some decorations."
But the decorations are only allowed on the base or top of the headstone from April 1 to Oct. 31. They may be on the ground from Nov. 1 to March 31.
Disappearing decorations
Lynsay Lewis wrote to The Advocate about the grave site in what’s called Angel Circle where her 4-year-old daughter is buried.
“They took down everything that is not a headstone without any heads up to families who have people buried there,” Lewis said. “I had sentimental stuff that was my daughter’s out there and we got no notice, no letter, no nothing and now I've lost the stuff that belonged to my daughter and I just don't know where to turn.”
Crystal Bryant, of Newark, said all the decorations were removed from her 2-month-old daughter Madailyn’s grave site in Angel Circle before April 1.
“I can’t deal with this,” Bryant said. “I’ve been having a really difficult time. Those little mementos are all we are able to give our kids. When am I going to be able to celebrate her (July) birthday and mourn her (September) death.”
Bryant said she found some of her daughter Madailyn’s items in the dumpster. She questions whether the wind blew everything away, when it had been there almost 13 years.
“I find that hard to believe because things up there survived two tornadoes,” Bryant said.
Vickie Lewis, of Heath, the grandmother of Madailyn, said there were angels, solar lights, pinwheels and a carousel on the grave site. She said she found the base of the carousel and one horse.
“She said the wind blew it away,” Lewis said. “It would have taken a tornado, There’s no way that stuff blew a half-mile over trees and bushes. Nothing on my granddaughter’s grave was broken until they threw it over there. When you buy a plot, it doesn’t say you’re not allowed to decorate that plot.”
Lewis said nothing had been removed in previous years.
Vickie Lewis and Pursley said Patznick knew about the removal of flags, too. They estimated hundreds were found in burns barrels and some on the ground.
Susan Gualtieri, of Newark, posted a video on Facebook showing small American flags in barrels and some laying on the ground near the barrels at the cemetery. Gualtieri said she also saw many decorations in the trash, including heavy items such as ceramic figurines and a wrought iron heart that were not damaged.
"Chance said she wasn’t aware of the flags in the barrels until Saturday the 15th," Vickie Lewis said. "We were there on April 4, and I showed her the photos. She kind of hesitated and said we’re going to have them respectfully burned. She said they were old flags, but they weren’t. They weren’t even tattered.”
Patznick said she did not see flags on the ground in the photos.
New policy established
Patznick said the new decoration policy, which is posted on the city web site, will be enforced gradually.
“We want to give people plenty of time,” Patznick said. “We’re taking it slow, section by section. We just want to make sure it’s not something that might get hit by the mower. Where there was wiggle room, we compromised on things.”
She said those graves in violation will be marked, giving loved ones 30 days to remove the decorations. After 30 days, the decorations will be removed and kept for 30 more days before being thrown out.
The temporary grave markers will help identify the sites without a headstone, Patznick said. The grave markers will be permitted for one year, but the time could be extended. The markers could be a cross or religious symbol, sometimes with the deceased’s name on it, she said.
Loren Barber, of Newark, who has a daughter buried at the cemetery and counsels grieving families, said the new policy is not what he expected, not much of a compromise, and an insult to the families. He said he visits the cemetery daily, so he knows what happens there.
“How does that (policy) address at all what these people are concerned about?" Barber said. "I’m resentful I have to beg these people (at the cemetery). This is a struggle to keep that place the way it has been, and the way it was sold to people the day they chose that long-established culture for their deceased relatives.”
The policy allows annual flowers to be planted within 8 inches from the front of a monument from April 1 to Oct. 31. Artificial decorations can be placed on the base of upright monuments.
The only borders permitted year-round are 12-gauge stainless steel borders or 14-gauge powder coated steel borders, if written permission is granted from the office. Approved borders can only be installed flush with the ground, spanning the width of the monument, and 8 inches out from the front of the monument.
Mayor Jeff Hall, whose parents are buried at the cemetery, previously said that the point of policies at the cemetery is to best serve everyone and maintain functionality.
“There’s a lot of people buried here, and a lot of families associated with it for many, many years and all we want to do is be able to take care of it and keep it in the great shape it deserves.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Cedar Hill Cemetery decoration policy changed, but debate may continue
