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State acquires land for new veterans' cemetery Wednesday, Jul 9, 2008 By John Lyon Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - With space running out at veterans' cemeteries in Fayetteville, Fort Smith and North Little Rock, and the Little Rock veterans' cemetery already full, Gov. Mike Beebe said Tuesday the acquisition of land for a fifth veterans' cemetery in eastern Arkansas is a cause for celebration. In a ceremony at the state Capitol, Beebe accepted the deed for 99 acres near Birdeye in Cross County from the Maurice Smith family of Birdeye. The family agreed to sell the land to the state for $150,000. Smith was a veteran and a former state police director. "There are limited options and limited geographic areas for veterans' cemeteries in the state. One cemetery specifically (in Little Rock) is already full," Beebe said, explaining the importance of the land acquisition. Arkansas' congressional delegation, led by Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, is seeking federal appropriations of $5.7 million to cover the cost of developing the cemetery, Beebe said. He thanked everyone who has been involved in the project. "We'll continue to ... work with the federal delegation and we'll continue to work with all our veterans and all our veterans groups to make this thing a reality," he said. Like the veterans' cemetery in North Little Rock, the cemetery in Cross County will be state-operated. The federal government operates the veterans' cemeteries in Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Little Rock. The Little Rock cemetery no longer accepts burials. The Cross County cemetery should be able to accommodate about 450 burials a year for about 125 years, said David Fletcher, director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs. The department will oversee a committee to select the design for the new cemetery. The federal Veterans Administration will have final approval. The timeline of the project will depend on when federal funds become available, officials said. |
