Tension was evident in the Lexington City Council chambers on Tuesday, May 12, as residents continued to raise concerns about the upkeep of Greenwood Cemetery.
Lexington residents again raised concerns about the condition of Greenwood Cemetery at the May 12 City Council meeting, after the release of a city plan to transition the cemetery to native grasses. This photo of Greenwood was taken on the day of the meeting.
City Manager Joe Pepplitsch said a multiyear plan is in place to address these concerns, but the drought has made it difficult for the city to maintain Greenwood’s grass.
On Tuesday morning, the City of Lexington published screenshots and two documents on its Facebook page. These documents included an eight-year plan to transition Greenwood Cemetery to native grasses and a compilation of the city’s cemetery rules and regulations.
The Facebook post said the documents were being posted before the council meeting “due to recent concerns,” and added, “This is a multi-year process that will require patience as the improvements become established over time. When complete, the turf conditions at Greenwood Cemetery are expected to more closely resemble those at Evergreen Cemetery, resulting in grounds that are more manageable, sustainable, and resilient.”
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The native grass transition plan for Greenwood stated a start date of June 2024, which people at the meeting expressed befuddlement about, given the current ground conditions. When the Clipper-Herald asked Pepplitsch when the plan was established, he said it had been in the works since 2022.
Pepplitsch explained that the city had been working on the plan since 2022, but it had been mostly a verbal understanding behind the scenes. Because people have been asking about Greenwood, Pepplitsch said, city officials decided to write the plan down and make it public.
“The city is trying,” Pepplitsch said. “We don’t neglect on purpose. We care. Employees care.”
He attributed the poor conditions of Greenwood to the current drought. As stated at the April 28 City Council meeting, the cemetery well is low, and the city has had to haul in water to run sprinklers.
Meanwhile, the city is transitioning the grass at Greenwood Cemetery from what Pepplitsch called “annual grass” to a mix of native grasses, including little bluestem, blue grama, blue mesa sheep fescue and buffalo grass. Pepplitsch said that will improve the cemetery’s appearance in the long run as the native grasses don't “come in green for a short time and then are gone.”
According to the city’s plan, these particular grasses were chosen for their “low-growing turf characteristics.” “seasonal color retention” and “deep-rooted drought resilience.”
The plan states that “native grasses grow slowly during establishment,” and that the first three years (2024-2026) were dedicated to seeding and root development. Doing this requires early-season mowing to 1.5 to 2 inches, aggressively dethatching or power raking, core-aerating compact soil, lightly exposing the soil surface, reducing irrigation frequency, seeding the native grass mix, and lightly pressing the seed into the soil.
Midseason actions include mowing to 4 to 5 inches, avoiding heavy fertilization, spot-controlling aggressive weeds and continuing reduced irrigation.
Late-season actions include continued reduced watering, overseeing thin areas, removing heavy leaf buildup and avoiding aggressive fertilization.
With Memorial Day approaching and the cemetery grass appearing brown and patchy, some citizens are calling this plan "eleventh hour” and “disrespectful towards veterans.”
Rhonda Fokken has led a petition demanding that the Lexington City Council address Greenwood concerns and implement a plan to restore dignity to the dead buried there by beautifying the grounds. As of May 13, the online petition shows 643 verified signatures with a goal of 1,000.
Fokken told the council that the decision to publish the native grass transition plan on the day of the meeting has “created even more concern,” and that families believed they were witnessing neglect rather than an implemented plan.
“People feel blindsided,” she said, adding that “the public deserves clear answers.”
Fokken presented the council with a packet containing photos of cemetery issues, quotes from community members and a proposed plan to restore Greenwood. Her plan consists of three stages: safety and stabilization; restoration and infrastructure; and ongoing maintenance standards. She urged the council to look over her plan and consider adding it to a future agenda.
Greenwood cemetery photos
Rhonda Fokken provided these photos of Greenwood Cemetery to the City Council and media.
Phase one of Fokken’s plan would consist of leveling uneven ground and filling holes, removing dead and damaged trees, removing remaining tree stumps, basic mowing and trimming, and removing overgrowth around headstones.
Phase two would include establishing turf, considering an underground sprinkler system and replacing trees. Phase three would focus on ongoing maintenance.
Dan Willets of Grand Island, who has family buried at Greenwood, said he is worried that the city is “creating a property that is more committed to low maintenance than appearance.”
Willets is a veteran, and his father is a veteran buried at Greenwood. He referenced the empty flagpole at the cemetery and said the veterans memorial is “overgrown with weeds.” He said the city was dishonoring the final resting place of people who gave their lives for this country.
“It’s a poor representation of the people who live here,” Willets said. He asked the council to consider Fokken’s restoration plan. He said he had heard people were afraid of signing the online petition due to retaliation and asked the council, “What the heck have you done to my hometown?”
Nola Reed, whose husband was in the service and is also buried in Greenwood, said she sees nothing “but dead grass and dandelions” at the cemetery, and it “needs loving care and some dignity shown to the resting place of our loved ones.”
Reed has been a resident of Lexington for 92 years. She said she removed more than 40 dandelions from her husband’s grave and redwood weed from her brother’s grave.
Deb Sund called Greenwood “a very sad situation where many, many people are having to do what the city should be doing.”
Sund said she believes the beginning problem of the cemetery is the well. Not only is the drought hurting water levels, but the hard water in the well is causing erosion and watermarks on tombstones. She suggested the council seek a grant or use general funds to put “significant money into the cemetery.”
According to Pepplitsch, the fiscal 2026 budget for the cemetery is $280,000, of which $150,000 is for personnel and operating costs; the rest is for supplies and capital. The budget covers both Greenwood and Evergreen cemeteries.
“We do hire seasonal employees for the cemeteries; water and street department employees also perform cemetery operations,” Pepplitsch said. “Park department employees assist when needed. Cemetery operations are overseen by the community services director, which has been the case since prior to my arrival in 1997.”
Kerry Teetor, who had spoken at the April 28 meeting, addressed the council again.
“I’m concerned that the people who live here aren’t taking care of what we have,” he said. “I’ve been here for 72 years, and this is the worst this cemetery has ever looked.”
View the cemetery rules and the grass transition plan with this story on lexch.com.
