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Central Coast Veterans Cemetery gets critical state boostBy RIA MEGNIN • rmegnin@thecalifornian.com • October 1, 2010 The Central Coast Veterans Cemetery planned for the former Fort Ord got a major boost Thursday, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1757 into law. The state has told organizers they must raise $3.4 million before it commits to building the cemetery. When completed, the 78-acre site would provide at least 11,500 grave sites over the course of two decades. The Assembly bill signed Thursday allows the state's Department of Veterans Affairs to apply for federal help in constructing the cemetery as money for each piece of the project becomes available, rather than waiting for local officials to raise the entire $3.4 million needed to earn matching funds. "We have been working on this since 1993," said Howard Gustafson, secretary of the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation. "This is the break that we needed. Having to raise $850,000 instead of $3.5 million to begin construction will be a magnet to entice others to want to help us complete the cemetery, and we will work harder to make this dream come true." The federal government has offered up a $400,000 grant for the cemetery project. Monterey County Military & Veterans Affairs Officer Tom Griffin said having a cemetery in Monterey County will have a tremendous effect. The closest current veterans cemetery to Salinas is in Gustine, an hour and a half northeast in the San Joaquin Valley. "To me, as a veteran, this is a life-giving event, even though it is for my final roll call," Griffin said. "Knowing there will be a resting place for me, near my family, friends, and the fellow veterans I've traveled with, is a monumental gift toward peace of mind and recognition of all veterans and their donation of life and service to America." The original plan called for the sale of land donated by Monterey County and Seaside to raise funds for the upkeep of the cemetery. The state would have required that the money be raised before helping procure federal dollars. But as the real estate market crashed, selling the land became difficult. Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Carmel, sponsored Thursday's bill in order to allow money for planning and other pieces of the project to come in while fundraising continues. "[The bill] will benefit the families of veterans throughout the Central Coast who deserve to be buried near their loved ones," Monning said. "Now, work can move forward to provide a final resting place to those who served this great country, and long overdue peace of mind can be provided their families." The U.S. Army's Fort Ord base, which opened in 1917, closed in 1994 and now hosts California State University, Monterey Bay; a shopping center, a nature reserve and other community resources. AB 1757 amends previous legislation to allow money to be transferred from the Endowment Fund to the Operations Fund when enough has been raised for each phase of the construction project as determined by the director of the Department of Finance. Once the money has been transferred, the bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to proceed with all design, development, and construction activities necessary to support the submission of the State Veterans Cemetery Grant Program application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. To donate money toward construction of the cemetery, go to http://ccvcf.com , call 831-384-9400 or write to the Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation, 220 12th St., P.O. Box 849, Marina, CA 93933. |
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