By Ian Thompson | Daily Republic | August 22, 2008 15:20
Construction crews work on expanding the Sacramento Valley VA National Cemetery on Midway Road Friday morning. Photo by Brad Zweerink
DIXON - Work has begun at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery to ensure there will be enough final resting places for area veterans for the next 10 years.
In June, the Department of Veterans Affairs awarded an $18 million contract to Sacramento firms Clark & Sullivan and Boward Brothers to build the cemetery's first phase of expansion.
This comes 20 months after the VA fast-tracked development of 14 acres and accepted its first burial in October 2006. The first burial service was for World War II veteran Alvin Hayman, a former Marine who sold the land to the VA.
The VA hopes to see the first phase completed in fall 2011, according to cemetery director Dean Moline.
This expansion covers 60 acres and includes the installation of 6,900 pre-placed crypts, about 4,900 grave sites, 8,000 columbaria sites and 5,200 in-ground cremain sites.
The cemetery's maintenance crews and administrators will finally get to move out of their trailers and into a permanent administration building, public information center and maintenance complex.
Two committal service shelters will also be built. Extensive landscaping, irrigation and permanent roads will be installed as well
'The beauty of the cemetery will be there for the families,' Moline said of the oncoming changes. 'This is to create that national shrine that our public deserves.'
The community's support of the growing cemetery has been 'very fulfilling,' said Moline, who was literally the cemetery's first employee three years ago.
'This community and these families have been so understanding of what we are doing,' Moline said.
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