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Veteran’s cemetery federal funding intact
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Posted on May 16 2005
For 15 years, the CNMI has kept a federal grant amounting to $1.5 million intact for the construction of a veterans’ cemetery on Saipan.
“We almost lost the grant because of our inability to identify the site where to put the cemetery,” said Gov. Juan N. Babauta during a public meeting yesterday with Military and Veterans Affairs Office executive officer Ruth Coleman.
Coleman said MVAO has identified the property, located in Marpi, and has received the go-signal to start construction in the area.
She said that the project’s design work has been completed and is now under a technical review by the Veterans Affairs Administration in Washington D.C.
She said bids would be out in two weeks for the construction and for a biological plan survey.
Groundbreaking for the project will take place in July this year. The construction is expected to be finished after 10 months.
The cemetery will be built on a 5-acre property in Marpi near Banzai Cliff.
“It’s going to be a serene place. A place of honor, a state-of-the art cemetery,” said Coleman.
Negotiations for the project reportedly began in the ‘90s between the CNMI and the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office. But due to problems relating to permitting and funding, the project implementation never took off.
Coleman said the original project was halted when a Reed Warbler, a migratory bird on the endangered species list, was found nesting on the proposed site.
In 2002, the governor reportedly revived negotiations, resulting in a new design that fell within the budget for the veterans cemetery.
The new plan has reportedly received the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval.
Babauta expressed gratitude to U.S. Veterans Affairs Office director Bill Jayne for his “patience and understanding” in keeping the grant for the CNMI.”
