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OGDEN — Northern Utah is home to Hill Air Force Base, but it still doesn't have a veterans cemetery in any of the surrounding counties. In fact, the only veterans' cemetery in the state is the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park located near Camp Williams in Bluffdale.
That is all about to change.
The state of Utah recently received title to over 100 acres of donated land in Weber County for use as a veterans' cemetery, according to the Utah State Legislature Compendium of Budget Information's website.
Bringing a veterans cemetery to northern Utah has been a "slow and painful process," said Terry Schow, a Vietnam veteran and former executive director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs.
A big part of why, Schow said, is because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for many years wouldn't allow a cemetery to be built in an area unless it met a threshold of at least 25,000 veterans living within a 75-mile radius of the proposed cemetery.
"Utah did not meet that criteria, save the one (cemetery) that's next to Camp Williams," Schow said.
In 2012, the VA National Cemetery Administration established the Rural Initiative, which would allow for more veterans' cemeteries to be built and expand access to veterans' families hoping to bury their loved ones in a recognized VA cemetery, something that Schow said is extremely important.
In addition to the land, which Schow said is located in an area south of the Ogden Regional Medical Center and north of Hill Air Force Base, the state received an appropriation of $750,000 from the Utah Legislature that will cover the preliminary work for the cemetery.
There's kind of a reverence, a respectfulness there that the families have. ... It's obviously hallowed ground to those who have served our country.
–Terry Schow, Vietnam veteran
With the land and the money secured, the state was also granted tentative approval from the federal VA, which will build the cemetery and provide initial equipment before the state takes over daily operations.
"They did get an appropriation to do some of the preliminary design work that's required to submit their application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs," Schow said. "The state Veterans Affairs office has been working with the National Cemetery Administration on this and they will use those funds appropriated by the Legislature to start doing the preliminary site development work."
Initial costs include architecture design, cemetery layout, going through the National Environmental Policy Act Review process and more. The projected total cost of the cemetery for the first phases would be $15 million — as a reimbursable expense — according to the Compendium of Budget Information website.
The initial phases of the project would only utilize a portion of the acquired 100 acres, with the remaining land available for future expansion.
To veterans like Schow, having a cemetery close to home would mean "a great deal."
"Federal and state cemeteries hold a special place in the hearts of veterans and their families," Schow said. "There's kind of a reverence, a respectfulness there that the families have. ... It's obviously hallowed ground to those who have served our country."
Currently, the VA National Cemetery Administration maintains 155 national cemeteries in 42 states and Puerto Rico as well as 34 soldiers' lots and monument sites. A full listing of state and tribal veterans' cemeteries can be found here.
