LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Lafayette's historic cemetery has served as the final resting place for generations of families for more than a century. Now, the cemetery is at the center of a dispute that combines grief and frustration.
The City of Lafayette first imposed a temporary moratorium on casket burials at the cemetery in late 2025 after officials discovered inconsistencies between historic paper records and what they are finding in the ground today. After city officials sent a letter to plot owners last month detailing plans to limit traditional casket burials and offering refunds or transfers, community pushback reignited and city officials decided to reconsider.
Now, officials say they hope to have new solutions on the table by the end of the month.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7's Boulder County reporter Colin Riley presses Lafayette's mayor for the latest on the town's plans for the cemetery
For some residents, the potential for the cemetery to close to casket burials came as a shock.
"[F]or many of us, this feels like losing part of our family history, our traditions, and promises we believed would always be honored," a viewer named Danelle recently emailed Denver7.
Lafayette Mayor Saul Tapia Vega said the problem is not new.
"This is not an issue that lives solely in 2026 and this is not an issue that lives with city council solely in 2026," Tapia Vega said. "This is an issue that's been deferred for decades that city council is now trying to take responsibility over and trying to find a solution for our residents."
The mayor said the moratorium was intended to buy time to better understand the situation.
"The reason for that moratorium was that we wanted to find more information, we wanted to just truly, for once and for all, just understand what is happening here," Tapia Vega said.
Lafayette resident and historian Frank Archuleta has family buried in the cemetery and planned to be laid to rest alongside them.
He pointed to a city-funded ground-penetrating radar study as evidence that an outright closure is not warranted. The study's executive summary states that "given the density of graves in this cemetery…that any excavation be undertaken with extreme care."
"They do not recommend to shut the entire cemetery down. They just said extreme care when digging, basically," Archuleta argued.
Archuleta said the study should be honored.
"This is our sacred cemetery here, and we must be buried in our sacred cemetery," Archuleta said. "That's the bottom line."
Tapia Vega said the goal is a solution that considers all available data.
"I understand what the results of the [ground] survey said, and I understand what the recommendation came forward said, but ultimately we just don't know, and I think what we really need to look at is a holistic and comprehensive view of what this cemetery looks like, what the data looks like, what everything tells us. Ultimately, just find a solution that works for everyone," Tapia Vega said.
Last month, city officials presented plot owners — including those with loved ones already buried at the cemetery — with three options for the moment: keeping a plot for cremation burials, exchanging for a plot at Coal Creek Cemetery in Louisville, or receiving a refund of $1,500.
Boulder County
Lafayette limits casket burials at historic cemetery, offers plot owners refunds
When asked whether those options represent fair compensation, Tapia Vega acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, saying they're still working to find the best solution.
"I believe the options are still out there," Tapia Vega said. "I believe the city council pushed the subcommittee and started the subcommittee, myself being one of the two members of that subcommittee, to explore every option."
Tapia Vega said community pushback has shaped the council's decision to host listening sessions and reconsider options.
"Our community came out strong and said this is not the time and this is not what we want, and council listened, and I'm proud of the fact that our community came out so strong," Tapia Vega said.
The mayor said no final decisions have been made and did not share any details about choices the city's subcommittee is currently considering.
"There are no permanent solutions on the table as of yet," Tapia Vega said. "There are no actions being taken by council. Our subcommittee is working right now, we're talking to the community, and we're trying to figure out what that next step is."
The subcommittee is working on ideas between now and the end of June. A community meeting is planned for June 29 to present a new proposal to residents.
"I can't promise that we're going to have the best solution on June 29, but we're going to try to have something that is tangible and that is real for a resident," Tapia Vega said.
For more information on the Lafayette cemetery, visit the city's cemetery FAQ page.
