Contract approved to begin renovations at Guam Veterans Cemetery

The Guam Veterans Cemetery is the final resting place for generations of those who served. But the longstanding issue about upkeep and expansion with space running low has drawn new concern about the status of that work and when that effort could begin. Additional infrastructural improvements and renovations across the premises have been planned over at the Piti facility, and now have been given the official clearance to begin following a legal review. 

Guam VA Office chief Jose San Agustin says has been optimistic about the coming enhancements. He told KUAM News, "We look forward to the expansion of our cemetery, which the National Cemetery Administration is helping us with. But we also have the renovations that are about to happen as soon as the attorney general signs-off on the contract."

And AG Doug Moylan says just today, the contract was signed, clearing the path for work to begin. He said, "It went through the review process for procurements and it was sent out of our office. It was about a $816,000 contract that was sent to us, and it was for the veterans chapel the administrative building, and the maintenance building, as well."

Freshman senator Chris Barnett says constituents have been asking him for an update, since federal grant funding was announced 12 months ago awarded from the National Cemetery Administration. He says the concerns were from local veterans and veterans groups.

"There was a meeting where it was revealed that if we didn't do anything up at Veterans Cemetery, then we'd run out of space. So that was a concern that I received from a lot of veterans. And the veterans, they get a lot of lip service but not a lot of results, and so when they approached me about these issues, that's why I wrote the letter," Barnett told KUAM News.

"I'm very encouraged to learn that there's some traction on this a year after it was supposed to happen and I just hope that we get this contract out and work that's very needed at Veterans Cemetery done."