Price City Mayor Michael Kourianos, along with members of the Price City Council and city staff, began Tuesday morning with a discussion in regard to ongoing concerns at the city’s two cemeteries. The discussion was sparked by the recent uproar following the city’s cemetery cleanup that took place in January.
The cleanup is scheduled annually following the holiday season to remove themed decor and items that do not follow the city’s cemetery policy. However, members of the community quickly took to social media and social circles with outrage over items being removed.
Andrea Ghirardelli shared a post on Facebook that gained traction with nearly 150 shares and even more comments. The post included 10 photos of the items that had been removed and placed in a pile to be disposed. Community members expressed outrage over many items that had been removed, such as temporary grave markers, flags, statues and themed decor. Some vase inserts were also removed during the cleanup.
The concern was not limited to social media, however. Price City Council members and employees were flooded with calls and texts with concerns over the cleanup. Thus, Mayor Kourianos met with members of the council as well as city employees to discuss the matter on Tuesday.
Following the brainstorming session aimed at finding a resolution, those involved granted a media interview. In attendance were Price City Mayor Kourianos, Price City Councilmen Layne Miller and Rick Davis, Customer Service Director Bret Cammans, and Parks and Cemetery Supervisor Brianna Welch.
Mayor Kourianos started by accepting responsibility on behalf of the city for the miscommunication during the cleanup and validating the concerns of those upset by the situation. The mayor stated that while cleanup is necessary for safety and maintenance of the cemetery, he understands the need to address the ongoing concerns.
Between the two cemeteries, Price City and Cliffview, there are 28 acres of land and upwards of 15,000 headstones. Nine city employees maintain the cemeteries in addition to their tasks at the city’s parks, ball fields, community garden and pump park. Mayor Kourianos emphasized the large undertaking this maintenance is for just nine employees.
Mayor Kourianos said that miscommunication likely happened between management and employees about what should and shouldn’t be removed during cemetery cleanups. One proposed solution to this was to provide two seasonal trainings each year to educate employees on what should be removed and what should remain. The annual cleanups traditionally take place following Christmas and Memorial Day.
“Christmas decorations may remain in the cemetery from December 5th to January 6th without removal on any given year. On January 7th, all decorations are subject to removal,” the Price City cemetery policy handout states. “Decoration cleanup will begin on a Monday, the week after the holiday, at which time all decorations will be cleared from the cemetery and disposed of. Such items include, but are not limited to; candles, solar lights, rocks, wires, stakes, breakable figurines, any glass or porcelain items or containers, yard or lawn ornaments.”
While it was adopted in 2020 that the cleanup following the winter season would begin on Jan. 7, Mayor Kourianos stated that they are considering extending the holiday season in order to push back the cleanup date and allow for a longer decorating period. However, this matter will have to be presented to the city council as a whole and voted on during an official council meeting.
The 2020 cemetery policy for the city states that decorations are allowed on the days of observance, which include birthdates, death dates, wedding anniversaries, Mother’s and Father’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and Christmas Day. According to the policy, decorations may be placed on the headstone or pedestal up to seven days prior to any day of observance, and shall be removed within seven days following any holiday.
However, items that are placed on graves of in the “mow strip/foundation” is not the responsibility of the city, according to the policy, which states “With the exception of days of observance, decorations are required to be in vases or securely attached to the headstone or pedestal. If a pedestal is not present, there must be a vase installed to contain secured decorations. If placed outside the headstone or pedestal, the City reserves the right to remove and discard the same without notice.”
The cemetery policy states that fences, borders, boxes, shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, chairs, settees, vases, glass, wood or iron cases, lawn or yard ornaments, porcelain and/or similar articles, whirly-gigs or pinwheels, wind chimes, flags, flag poles, hanging baskets, handmade metal items, bottled beverages, dolls, glass beads or stones, wires and stakes are subject to removal without notice. Mayor Kourianos said the main reason for this is due to safety concerns for maintenance workers.
Another concern raised by community members is why their belongings should be removed in the winter when snow blankets the ground and mowing is not taking place. Mayor Kourianos stated that snow clearing on the lawns is common in the winter season as burials still take place. For this to happen, snow must be removed from areas to allow for digging and burial. This means that a snow blower is used on the lawn to remove snow and items on the grass can easily become lodged into the snow blower, causing damage to equipment and a safety hazard as items are flung from the machine.
“Our goal is to keep our employees safe but also be sensitive to the feelings of the citizens,” Mayor Kourianos said.
Concerns were also presented to the city about items being removed from a plot for which a citizen has paid for. It was explained that when a citizen purchases a plot from Price City, they are purchasing the right to burial. The plot remains in ownership of the city, with the exception of the headstone, which is the property of the buyer. When someone purchases the right to burial, they also purchase perpetual care of the plot, which means that city employees will provide ongoing maintenance of the plot and the surrounding area.
“No purchase of real property is made or inferred, and the customer is subject to rules and policies of the city,” Price City shared on its 2020 cemetery policy handout. The policy also states that the planting of any tree, shrub, flower or any other plant by community members is prohibited.
Other concerns from community members included the removal of temporary grave markers and American flags. In the 2020 cemetery policy, it states that “temporary name plates or signs are allowed for thirty (30) days, after which they will be removed.”
Welch, the cemetery supervisor, also addressed American flags that are removed. She said that while flags are commonly removed for not following the policy outside the days of observance, employees aim to save all of the flags that are in good condition. She said that they are saved throughout the year and then made available to community members to place during Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. The group also said they plan on addressing the proper retirement of flags that are no longer serviceable.
If you had items removed during the January cleanup, they can be retrieved by contacting the cemetery office at (435) 636-3191.
The full policy regarding the regulation and operation of the Price City cemeteries is 25 pages in length and can be accessed by clicking here. A condensed flyer outlining the policy is available here.