Widow expresses concern over husband’s grave

 SCOTTVILLE – An Amber Township resident voiced her concerns about the condition of her husband’s grave site during the regular meeting of the Scottville City Commission Monday. Karen Ross of 348 W. Hansen Rd. told the commission that her husband’s grave site in the city’s Brookside Cemetery “looks terrible.”

Kenneth Ross died in December 2012 and the family held a memorial service for him on May 4. Karen Ross said the grave site and the surrounding graves looked bad.

“There were weeds growing all over. I also have a complaint of the whole cemetery. It looks terrible. There are weeds all over and trees that need to be cut down. It’s really bad to have people come and visit. The whole cemetery just looks awful. There is a tree at the entrance that is half dead and the other half is in the roadway.”

City Manager Amy Williams said she went out to the cemetery with Karen Ross and agreed that Ross’ husband’s grave site could look better.

“We contract with Larsen’s Landscaping to take care of the cemetery’s landscaping,” Williams told the city commission. “Our Department of Public Works crew put seed on the grave site but the seed didn’t take. I have asked Larsen’s and visited with them at the site. They said they would take care of it, that it was on their schedule.”

Williams said the landscaper said there is a possibility that moles may have infected the area around the grave, which includes several other graves besides the Ross site.

Williams said Larsen’s told her the reason the weeds seemed high was because the last time the cemetery was mowed the crew members had an equipment breakdown.

Karen Ross said as of today nothing had been done to the site.

Commissioner Jim Schiebner asked that the landscaping make it a priority to come back to the site if there is an equipment issue.

Ross said she has a friend who is willing to fix up the area of the grave. Williams said that that shouldn’t be necessary.

“If I can’t get Larsen’s to do it I will get someone else to do it,” she said, adding she will contact Larsen’s on Tuesday.