COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. — Members of the Cottage Grove Cemetery Association took their heated concerns to management in a closed-door meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, still irked by the stricter enforcement of regulations that ban certain decorations and require more tidiness.
The issue has exploded in recent weeks among some plot-holders, who say items they left for their loved ones have been moved -- or removed entirely -- from graves by management. Janet Ambright, who lost her husband last year, said a cross was removed and that the position of her flowers was shifted.
"It is so hard to grieve," she said, "when there is turmoil surrounding us."
Michael Sharkey, an attorney speaking on behalf of the cemetery association, said no actual changes have been made to policy under new cemetery management. Instead, he said, the regulations are simply being enforced more strictly, in order to keep the cemetery cleaner, more visually appealing and more accessible for the grounds staff.
On Tuesday, the association's meeting drew a line out the door inside City Hall. The association promises to listen to the feedback it received during the closed-door meeting.
Though many are hopeful for a compromise, emotions have been running high.
"To go to that cemetery and see that, it hurts," Ambright said. "It feels like I'm just going there to fight."