Bob Young isn’t deterred by the fact that the Department of Veterans Affairs didn’t approve funding for a veterans’ cemetery in south Richmond County in 2022.
“I didn’t think we’d get funding for the current year,” said the former Augusta mayor and Vietnam veteran who is co-chairman of the effort to bring the cemetery on 500 acres adjacent to the East Central Regional Hospital site. “It was a longshot to think it would happen the first year.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp approved $1 million for the project voted on by the General Assembly earlier this year. The VA requires 10% of the total project before the application can be considered. It’s estimated the project will cost around $10 million.
Young said the application was in by the July 1 deadline; however, there was an error that caused it to be bumped as a “non-conforming” application. They were able to straighten the misunderstanding out as Young had the necessary documentation. Funding would’ve been for the 2022 fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
The VA developed a priority list of cemetery expansions as well as new cemeteries. Augusta is about 21 on the list.
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Young said they fund the top priority projects first. This year, about 12 projects, all expansions of existing cemeteries were approved. The projects should move up which would mean Augusta would be in the top 10 for next year.
Bob Mauldin of 2KM Architects, located in Augusta, has been tapped to design the cemetery. According to a May 15 story in “The Augusta Press,” Mauldin said he plans to model the Augusta cemetery on the one at Milledgeville, Ga. which he also designed.
Some of the closest veterans’ cemeteries are in Milledgeville and Columbia.
Veterans who received honorable discharges, as well as their spouses and dependents, all qualify for burial at veterans ‘memorial cemeteries throughout the nation. Burial at state and national veterans’ cemeteries are free to the families.
It could be between three and five years before the cemetery is ready for burials, the May 15 article stated.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
