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Governor submits $1.6M cemetery project grant
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Posted on Jun 23 2005
Gov. Juan N. Babauta submitted yesterday the required documentation for the $1.6 million federal grant for the construction of the Veterans Cemetery on Saipan.
In a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs William Jayne, said the grant will allow the construction of the “critically needed project” by August this year.
“The construction of this project will allow veterans in the CNMI to finally have a serene resting place, an honor all veterans deserve,” he said.
Babauta also certified to the agency that the cemetery will be maintained in accordance with National Cemetery Administration standards.
Earlier, the governor said that the funding has been reserved for the CNMI for 15 years now.
He said the CNMI almost lost the grant due to the local government’s inability to identify the site.
The Military Veterans Affairs Office said it has identified the property in Marpi and has received the go-signal to start construction in the area. The project’s design work has been completed and is now under a technical review by the federal agency.
The cemetery will be built on a 5-acre property in Marpi near Banzai Cliff.
Negotiations for the project reportedly began in the 1990s between the CNMI and the U.S. Veterans Affairs Office. But due to problems relating to permitting and funding, the project implementation never took off.
