By TIM PRESTON - The Independent
GREENUP--Set to open this fall, work at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North East in Greenup County is progressing according to schedule with 1,100 in-ground crypts already prepared for veterans and their spouses.
�We�ve got our administration building partially under roof,� said cemetery superintendent Frank Kees, explaining a pre-engineered metal structure for the cemetery�s maintenance building is also nearing completion and electrical utilities are �roughed in� and nearly 50 percent finished.
The cemetery�s in-ground crypts are designed to allow burial of an individual, and topped with a cement lid allowing the veteran�s spouse to be buried directly above, Kees said. The remainder of the cemetery�s 1,431 crypts will be developed as need arises, Kees said.
Kees said those interested in learning more about the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North East, which is one of four veterans cemeteries in Kentucky, is welcome to visit the facility along Industrial Parkway. Kees said he will also provide tours of the cemetery for anyone who calls and requests a guided visit.
The 78-acre Veterans Cemetery North East will eventually house 25,000 graves. The cemetery, designed by architectural and design firm Carman and Associates based in Lexington, will be constructed in two phases. The second phase will be completed in about 20 years.
The veterans cemetery is being built with a $6.1 million federal grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The state will pay for the operations and maintenance of the cemetery. The cemetery will include a columbarium for cremains as well as a committal shelter for burial services. Walkways and a road system designed to facilitate funeral processions have been designed into the cemetery layout along with administrative buildings, equipment storage and maintenance buildings.
An 800-pound gold cast iron eagle which is now on display at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park will guard the main gate of the facility from atop a formal column when the cemetery is opened.
TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2651.
