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Students to survey Templeton Cemetery; commission secures permissions and small funding support
Summary
Colorado School of Mines students plan ground-penetrating radar work at Templeton Cemetery; the preservation commission clarified access, modest reimbursement for student expenses and next steps on landmark designation and mapping.
Colorado School of Mines students will perform a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey at Templeton Cemetery later this winter, the Historic Preservation Commission confirmed, and the commission agreed to support the visit with modest logistical help and to pursue written permission from the landowner.
Why it matters: the GPR work will locate undocumented graves and help the commission place headstones and plan boundary and platting work for the cemetery. Commissioners said the survey will allow them to document known and unknown plots and to order markers and fencing more accurately.
Key details and logistics Commissioners said the student team will bring a small crew (discussed during the meeting as four students plus a faculty member) and that dates discussed in the meeting were referenced as "February. 20 first, and 20 second" (speakers did not read full calendar-format dates). The students will use ground-penetrating radar to map graves and the commission offered to help cover basic expenses (lodging, food and travel) if needed. Staff noted a contingency line item in the historic preservation budget with roughly $400 available for headstone restoration and incidental expenses; commissioners agreed it could be tapped to cover modest student expenses such as a shared meal or incidental costs.
Access and permissions The commission reported it has verbal permission from the adjacent landowner to cross private land for access and that the golf-course owner (Silas) had given verbal permission for on-site work; commissioners directed staff to request written confirmation from Silas to reduce liability exposure. Members discussed liability and asked that any volunteers or city staff document receipts for reimbursable expenses so the city record would be clear if incidents occurred.
Mapping, designation and follow-ups Commissioners discussed taking photographs and recording coordinates for graves after the survey; one member offered to use survey equipment to produce an accurate plot. They also discussed formal local landmark designation and platting options: staff said a meets-and-bounds description for the cemetery exists in county records and that assessor mapping now shows the parcel as a distinct line, which would help a local-designation application. The commission asked volunteers to continue background work (historical research, photo documentation and period-of-significance notes) that will support both a grant application and any request for local landmark designation.
What was decided The commission agreed to: 1) support the student GPR visit with modest financial and logistical help as needed (use up to available contingency funds for meals/incidentals), 2) obtain written permission from Silas (golf-course contact) via email before fieldwork, and 3) continue work on documentation to support later platting and landmark-designation steps. Members also volunteered to provide practical support for the students (e.g., warming shelter, snow removal and local accommodations) if weather requires it.
