$750,000 Requested For UC State Veterans Cemetery

The State Department of Veterans Services has requested an additional $750,000 for constructing a state veterans cemetery in the Upper Cumberland.

Donna Fare is the Chairman of the Upper Cumberland State Veterans Cemetery Association (UCSVCA). She said the proposed funding would meet requirements set forth by the National Cemetery Association.

“The $750,000 that’s being requested is to fund the assessment and engineering fees that are needed to satisfy the National Cemetery Association’s requirements for a cemetery,” Fare said. “There’s quite a list of guidelines that need to be checked off before they will approve monies to build cemeteries.”

The funding request was announced by state officials during UCSVCA’s monthly meeting on Friday. Lawmakers will be voting on whether or not to appropriate the money within the next couple of weeks.

The board also received an update on efforts to locate and purchase at least 70-acres of land for the cemetery. State Department of Veterans Services Assistant Commissioner Travis Murphy said the property search remains ongoing at this time.

“We continue to look within the Upper Cumberland,” Murphy said. “The VA outlined some factors to consider….areas with the densest veteran population and something that’s easily accessible. It’s generally the Putnam County and northern White County area that we’re looking at.”

The state has already appropriated $600,000 for the purpose of purchasing the property. Murphy said last month that the state would like to have the property purchased by July.

“We still continue to shoot for a July time frame when we can certify to the National Cemetery Administration that we own property and have 10-percent of the design and architectural engineering funding,” Murphy said. “If you get the information to the National Cemetery Administration in July it just helps with priority.”

The UCSVCA will meet again in June.