Committee presses ahead on Templeton Cemetery restoration; GPR finds 24 graves, members seek access solutions

The Woodland Park Historical Preservation Committee reviewed progress on the Templeton Cemetery restoration and discussed access, marker placement and ways to protect identified burials.

A committee member noted a newspaper article that said the cemetery contained "as many as 50 graves." City staff corrected that figure based on recent field work: a ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) survey identified 24 graves so far. The committee treated the 50 number as a historical claim in published reporting and agreed the GPR result is the current site-based estimate.

Members said they are keeping regular grass maintenance and that further site work (signs, markers and formal access) will require coordination with planning and facilities staff and with the golf course manager, who currently oversees nearby grounds. Staff said they will consult Rob Phillips (golf-course manager) and facilities before proceeding with access improvements.

Committee members also raised concerns about a nearby recreational Frisbee golf basket that sits close to burial areas. Members called the proximity "disrespectful" and offered to relocate the basket; one member volunteered to move it off the cemetery edge to reduce risk of impacts to graves and visitors.

The committee assigned follow-up tasks to refine access options, to keep mowing and site upkeep on the near-term list, and to return with more detailed plans once planning review and facilities input are available. Members also asked staff to reconcile public-facing materials (poster text and press claims) with the GPR data to avoid overstating burial counts.