Delay in utilizing federal funding for Veterans Cemetery renovation

A delay in utilizing federal funding. The Guam Veteran's Affairs Office secured a sizable grant last year to expand the veterans cemetery which is nearly at max capacity. But "administrative oversight" causing a setback for long overdue improvements for our fallen heroes’ final resting place. 

Nearly a year ago, the Guam Veterans Cemetery secured a $8.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs National Cemetery Administration to make much needed renovations and upgrades. 

"There’s a crypt up top that has been sliding because of the rain and the earthquakes," Jose San Agustin explained. "There are crypts that are unusable. So we’re going to tear them down and utilize that. And we’re doing to build more crypts so we can extend the life of the cemetery for at least ten more years."

But the monies to make those improvements for our fallen heroes still isn’t in the hands of the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs. San Agustin, the agency's director, admitted the delay is due to administrative oversight and setbacks with the Department of Public Works unable to secure an engineering and architecture advertisement. 

"I can't really pinpoint where it’s at but there is responsibility on my office to work with DPW and say ‘hey, has the advertisement been submitted?’ But I’m going to take some fault on that. But the short story of it is that we have to work together to bring this project back on course," he said.

While a deadline to utilize the grant is looming, San Agustin says he was able to secure an extension.  "Long story short," he noted, "I was able to meet up with the folks of the National Cemetery Administration and asked them to make sure we don’t lose that grant because we definitely do need it for our cemetery and they do understand that. so they promised me that ‘Joe, you’re priority number one.’"

Priority one is assigned to projects needed to avoid disruption in burial services that would otherwise occur within four years.  San Agustin estimates the Piti cemetery has a two- to three-year lifespan of burial grounds left. 

"That’s one reason for the expansion so that we have more burial grounds ready for when our angels, our heroes and their families pass away. We’re ready to do the right thing for them. This is their home forever," he said.

Plus with Typhoon Mawar causing even more damage, he hopes to allocate funding to ensure the cemetery’s facilities are typhoon-proof.  "So, the chapel has damages from the doors, flooding damage with the pews, damage on the deck in our admin office, and some damage done down at our maintenance office as well as well as the fenceline," he said.

San Agustin says the funding may finally come in by the end of the year but it will take several more months to see construction.