Regarding the upkeep at the Brookfield Township Cemetery: Have I complained? Yes. Proof of my complaining was visible on May 17, when our daughter’s grave site was damaged by a new employee. An angel statue that sits on a stone base was smashed, her fiber optic cross was knocked over and her stone base was moved on its foundation almost an inch. That stone base is quite heavy, so I can only imagine the force that it took to move it.
When my husband and I visited my daughter’s grave that day, we became very upset at the damage. However, we thank Mr. Fredenburg and Trustee Suttles, who came and witnessed the damage. They both agreed that this type of thing should not happen and apologized. The employee admitted hitting the stone with a mower and stated that he has been on the job only two days and was not used to the equipment. I asked if he had been trained in use of the equipment. The answer was, “No.”
We were offered reimbursement for the statue, and they have already moved the base stone back into place. But, the main issue is, why are employees going so close to the grave sites with this heavy equipment? There is no way these stones can be moved unless they are hit with these high-powered mowers, not from vandalism, as we have been led to believe in the past. Just because the machines can go 10 mph does not mean the operator must go that fast. It is difficult to understand why there is not some sort of job procedure manual employees are made to read and understand. All we ask is that respect be shown to those that are buried here in eternal rest.
Mrs. Mickie Foltz, Masury