Nov. 4--Upon arriving at her father's gravesite in Phase II of the Destin Cemetery recently, Pam Page found tire tracks across his flat headstone and chips in the marble that resulted from "normal" city maintenance procedures.

Page has been visiting the headstone of her father, Cliff Stack, a couple of times a month since 1985. She called the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office when she discovered the damage to the site, assuming it had been vandalized.

After a deputy arrived and examined the site, he said that the tire tracks were from a lawn mower, and after looking around, Page found that several of the headstones in the cemetery displayed the same tracks and chips. Page realized that her father's gravesite had not been vandalized, it had been maintained.

"My mom was with me, and she was just so upset," Page said. "At first, we couldn't believe that someone would drive over the headstone."

Page's next step was to contact Kimberly Montgomery, deputy city clerk. After contacting the deputy director of public services, Tim Pietenpol, Montgomery e-mailed Page, saying that mowing over flat headstones was part of the city's normal maintenance procedures, but that maintenance would weed eat around her father's gravesite in the future.

"It's hard to balance the emotional aspect with the practical part of maintenance," Pietenpol said. "It's not something we take lightly, but we have to look at any way we can save money."

"They (the city) felt that it was not disrespectful but saved money for the taxpayers," Page said. "My point is that it is wrong and disrespectful, and that because of the blade running over it, the marble is chipped."

Despite Page's feelings, the city will not repair or replace her father's headstone. Section 7-29 of Destin Cemetery rules and regulations states that the city will not be responsible for any damage caused during normal maintenance activities.

Page questions whether or not mowing over headstones is normal. She said that her father died about 24 years ago, and this is the first time the family has seen tire tracks or damage to his marker.

However, Pietenpol said that as far as he knows, the city has always maintained the cemetery the same way. In fact, he said that flat headstones were installed in Phase II to make maintaining the cemetery easier and cheaper.

According to Page, there were numerous other gravesites in the cemetery that were damaged due to the city's maintenance procedures. She said she wants other people who have loved ones in the cemetery but are not able to visit as often as her to know how the gravesites are being maintained.

"To me, they're seeing this as a job site instead of a place of mourning for people," Page said. "In a perfect world, I would love for them not to run over any gravesites, just be a little more sensitive to the families and the ones that are buried here."

"It's not something we take lightly, and our guys are very conscious of the emotional ties people have there," Pietenpol said. "It's a personal thing for those folks, and I understand."

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