NEWTON - Mississippi Veteran Affairs broke ground on an expansion project at the State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Newton on Tuesday.
The project will include 1500 crypts at a new section of the cemetery covering five acres at the cost of approximately $3.6 million. Federal funds cover one hundred percent of the cost through a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration (NCA).
"Our Memorial Cemetery is one of the best in the entire country. This expansion will allow for 1500 more of our Veterans to have a final resting place worthy of American heroes," said Mississippi VA Executive Director Stacey Pickering. "We appreciate the support from the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, Randy Reeves, and the rest of our federal partners at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs."
Each crypt holds two coffin spaces; one for the Veteran and another for the Veteran's dependent of choice. The expansion also will include new landscaping, irrigation and other supporting infrastructure. The estimated completion time for the project is eight to 12 months.
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