Albany man upset by lawn maintenance on family graves - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

By Jim Wallace - bio | email

ALBANY, GA (WALB) –An Albany man is upset over the lack of upkeep on his family's graves at the city's Riverside Cemetery. He says he can't get city workers to do what he considers simple respect for the families.

Nathaniel Payne says he has asked several times in recent years to blow grass clippings and trash off the top of his

family's grave stones after they cut the grass, because it stains the marble. Payne said he found the graves covered in grass clippings again yesterday. Several graves around his mother's were covered in dirt and clippings. Tuesday Payne brought a monument cleaner to the cemetery, to once again clean stains on the marble, which will cost several hundred dollars.

"I buried my last uncle here in 2004. These monuments were taken up and cleaned, but they are stained again. Leave the grass and stuff on the graves, and it's just not fair, "said Payne.

Payne says all he is asking is that the city workers blow off the graves after the grass is cut, but he says many times he visits his mother's grave and finds it covered in yard debris.

We talked with Suzanne Davis with the city's recreation and parks, that handles the lawn maintenance at the cemetery, and told her about Payne's complaint. She said she would look into it immediately.

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