Construction to begin on Georgia National Cemetery.
An Associated Press article reports:
Construction is set to begin on the Georgia National Cemetery in Sutallee.
When completed in 2007, it will be among the largest national veterans’ cemeteries in the country. It also will be the only VA-run cemetery in Georgia open for new burials, which will begin at the end of 2005.
The first phase of construction will develop 135 acres of the 775-acre property west of Canton. The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded the $27.7 million contract for the first phase of the national veterans’ cemetery to Marietta-based J.M. Wilkerson Construction Co. Inc.
This phase will create more than 29,000 casket gravesites, which include traditional sites and pre-placed crypts; and a 3,000-unit columbarium and 3,000 burial sites, which will house cremated remains.
The project also includes a public information center and an assembly area for ceremonies and offices.The cemetery will be expanded at least two more times to increase the burial capacity to more than 125,000 veterans.
The project is a year behind schedule due to the need for additional design work and the surveying challenges posed by the land’s rocky terrain.
Cemetery Director Sandy Beckley said while they are not yet registering for burial, she is keeping a list of people who want their loved ones buried there. They will be called first when the cemetery is ready.
According to the VA, 400,000 veterans live within 75 miles of the cemetery. The two closest VA-run cemeteries open to new burials are Chattanooga National Cemetery in Tennessee and Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Alabama.
Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children are eligible for burial in national cemeteries. The VA provides the space, opening and closing, perpetual care, headstone and grave liner for casketed burials at its cemeteries at no cost.
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My father-in-law Jim Cockrill graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain. Because of his love for the Academy, he and his lovely wife Betty have opted for their remains to be at the Academy rather than Arlington.
I approve of the military providing burial grounds and facilities for those who have served their country. It is money well spent.
Construction is set to begin on the Georgia National Cemetery in Sutallee.
When completed in 2007, it will be among the largest national veterans’ cemeteries in the country. It also will be the only VA-run cemetery in Georgia open for new burials, which will begin at the end of 2005.
The first phase of construction will develop 135 acres of the 775-acre property west of Canton. The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded the $27.7 million contract for the first phase of the national veterans’ cemetery to Marietta-based J.M. Wilkerson Construction Co. Inc.
This phase will create more than 29,000 casket gravesites, which include traditional sites and pre-placed crypts; and a 3,000-unit columbarium and 3,000 burial sites, which will house cremated remains.
The project also includes a public information center and an assembly area for ceremonies and offices.The cemetery will be expanded at least two more times to increase the burial capacity to more than 125,000 veterans.
The project is a year behind schedule due to the need for additional design work and the surveying challenges posed by the land’s rocky terrain.
Cemetery Director Sandy Beckley said while they are not yet registering for burial, she is keeping a list of people who want their loved ones buried there. They will be called first when the cemetery is ready.
According to the VA, 400,000 veterans live within 75 miles of the cemetery. The two closest VA-run cemeteries open to new burials are Chattanooga National Cemetery in Tennessee and Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in Alabama.
Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children are eligible for burial in national cemeteries. The VA provides the space, opening and closing, perpetual care, headstone and grave liner for casketed burials at its cemeteries at no cost.
_______________
My father-in-law Jim Cockrill graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and retired from the U.S. Navy as a Captain. Because of his love for the Academy, he and his lovely wife Betty have opted for their remains to be at the Academy rather than Arlington.
I approve of the military providing burial grounds and facilities for those who have served their country. It is money well spent.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 12:21 AM
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