Work is continuing on veterans' cemetery
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 26, 2015 1:46 PM
News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Miguel Hernandez, left, helps guide the placement of a crypt lid as Warren Summers operates the heavy equipment at the Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery on Long's Plant Farm Road. The cemetery is scheduled for completion by Nov. 2.
Paving has been completed and the concrete crypts installed at the Eastern Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, which is on target to be completed by its Nov. 2 deadline.
"It has been a busy couple of weeks, but with the weather holding out like it is, and days still being long, we are looking at being very successful in the completion of the project," said Bill Royall of Daniels and Daniels Construction Co., the company doing the work. "My final completion date is still Nov. 2. I am going to still say Nov. 2 by the time we get through the inspections and close out and everything else.
"Things are starting to sort of wrap for us in good order. The columbarium have been erected on either side of the open-air committal shelter. Once somebody's remains are put in then they change the cover out that has the name on it. Basically there will be a platform they will place the casket on, a podium back here. Then when they do a service this is where it will be done at. It is not enclosed."
The cemetery will straddle both sides of Long's Plant Farm Road just off U.S. 70 east of Goldsboro and will cost $4.1 million.
The current phase is developing only 20 acres of the approximately 60-acre site.
It will join the ranks of three other veterans cemeteries in the state, which are located in Black Mountain, Fayetteville and Jacksonville.
Fencing is being installed and trees planted along Long's Plant Farm Road to help screen the site, and the masonry work has been erected that will hold the sign with the cemetery's name.
"We have most of the trees in now so we are beginning to do the final landscaping on most of those projects," Royall said. "A few bushes remain to be put in, but we are saving them for the very end of this project. The last bit of the circular concrete sidewalk is being installed.
"There are 3,764 crypts laid out in a grid. Every individual vault is based on a 3 foot by 8 foot grid layout. When someone is buried they know where to look within that 3 foot by 8 foot grid. Right next to it is another 3 foot by 8 foot grid and so on. The markers to the best of my knowledge are supplied by the VA. My understanding of this whole concept is there is a real need for it and they will start burials soon after we turn it over."
Presently there are no burial spots in the middle section of the cemetery.
"All of the burials in ground will be either at the vaults, and between the vaults and the road are areas where they can direct bury urns," he said.
Burial at the cemetery is free for veterans, but each veteran's family or estate is still responsible for the cost of the funeral service.
Burials will occur three times per day -- at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m.
Work is continuing on the administration building, which includes large public restrooms, office, conference room and an area for the honor guard to change clothes.
In front of the building is a flag court.
"What you will have up here are flags that will represent every branch of the military, and of course the United States flag, a MIA flag and I am assuming a North Carolina flag," Royall said. "There is a grave locator kiosk on this site. Basically it resembles an automatic teller machine. But what it is, is an interactive machine that is computer-driven.
"You put in the name of the person you are searching for and it is connected to other veterans cemeteries across the United States. That way you can cross-reference where somebody is buried. It will even print a map if you are looking for somebody here, showing you where they are located on the property."
It will be outside the office and available anytime that the cemetery is open, Royall said.
There are no area lights in the cemetery, and Royall said he did not know what hours the cemetery would be open.
Inside the administration building will be a dedication plaque and another with the Gettysburg Address.
A memorial wall with the emblems of the different service branches will be erected across the cemetery drive from the administrative office.
A maintenance shed across Long's Plant Farm Road from the cemetery is nearly completed as well.
Royall said work on the site is ongoing five or six days a week depending on what needs to be done.
"It is a very well laid out piece of property as visibility goes," he said. "We have the irrigation lines in. As a mater of fact we purged the irrigation lines and we are looking to put the heads on the irrigation system. We have a lot of this area already seeded.
"We have made very good progress on this whole project. I think everybody in the construction business was hampered in January, February and March due the weather patterns that we were having, but we have been very fortunate. We have all worked together and we have made good progress on this project."
Also, people still stop along the road to look at the site and ask questions, he said.
"I am hearing a lot interest from the community on this project, and I am glad," Royall said. "I am glad we can participate in a project that means that much to the local community.
"I have a lot of people who just randomly find out I am involved with this project and they want to talk about it. With our military affiliations here it really means a lot to this community. I was told it was the topic of conversation with the morning crowd at Wilber's (Barbecue restaurant)."