STATE PUTS AREA VETERANS CEMETERY BEHIND TWO OTHERS

Plans to build a veterans cemetery in Southeast Missouri have been temporarily placed on the back burner, but the Missouri Veterans' Commission expects to ask for site proposals for the project by early 1998.

Legislation signed into law by Gov. Mel Carnahan in July allows for creation of a statewide system of veterans cemeteries.

Ron Taylor, director of services and planning for the Veterans' Commission, said the commission has decided to build four cemeteries. However, at the moment, proposals are only being considered for two sites -- one in Southwest Missouri and the other in the north-central part of the state.

"We do anticipate -- though the timeframe is not definite -- requesting proposals in 1997 or early 1998 for Southeast Missouri," Taylor said.

In July the commission was considering building between two and five cemeteries and expected to ask for proposals in August. However, the initial plans were revised, and in October the commission decided to focus efforts on the two regions with the highest concentrations of veterans.

Proposals have been received from Springfield in Southwest Missouri and Higginsville and Marshall in west-central Missouri.

A site in Southeast Missouri is next on the list, with the last cemetery to be built in the north-central part of the state.

Taylor said the commission felt putting cemeteries in the southeast and north-central regions were not the highest priorities.

"What it basically boils down to is there are just not quite as many veterans in those areas," he said.

Taylor also said proposals for sites in Southwest and west-central Missouri were much further along in planning than efforts in other regions.

Approximately 586,000 veterans reside in Missouri. As the veteran population ages, the number of veteran deaths continues to increase. Deaths are expected to peak around 2010.

Currently only one federal cemetery in Missouri -- Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis -- is still in operation. National cemeteries in Springfield and Jefferson City have already reached capacity.

Each of the new state cemeteries will cost between $3 million and $4 million to build and $400,000 a year to operate.

"That is a rough estimate depending on the size of each site selected, the number of acres to be developed at first, and other hard-to-anticipate costs," said Taylor.

In the coming months, the commission will evaluate the three proposals it has received. Two sites will be recommended to Carnahan for his approval.

"In early 1998 construction will start if everything goes smoothly," Taylor said.

Federal money will pay half the costs of planning and construction. The Veterans' Commission already has applied for the money, which won't become available until October.

An optimistic timetable has the first cemetery opening in 1999, with the second by 2000. Cemeteries in the Southeast and north-central regions should be completed between 2002 and 2004.

The original legislation sponsored by Rep. Jim Montgomery, D-Cabool, called for eight cemeteries and specifically listed the cities in which they would be built. Bloomfield was the designated site for Southeast Missouri.

However, the final version of the bill left the number and location up to the Veterans' Commission. Both Higginsville and Springfield were listed in the original legislation.

The state's share of construction and operating costs will come from a portion of fees collected from gambling boat admissions.

The Veterans' Commission expects to collect between $60 million and $80 million from the fees before the funding mechanism expires July 1, 2000.

"Sixty million dollars would be adequate for both the construction of new veterans homes already planned and four cemeteries," Taylor said.

Several veterans homes are currently under construction or are scheduled to be built in the next few years using gambling revenues.

New homes in Cameron, Warrensburg and Mount Vernon and an expansion of a home in St. Louis will add 750 beds statewide, more than doubling the resident space in Missouri's veterans-home system to 1,300.