New Hampshire’s State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen has secured $2.5 million in federal grant money to assist in repairs and expansion, according to the state’s Congressional delegation.
The funding, announced Tuesday by Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, will allow the state to develop an additional 4.6 acres of land, and will bolster the services it can provide.
Established in 1997, the cemetery is currently using about 15 of its 60 acres, enough to last at least through the end of the century, Cemetery Director Michael Horne told the Monitor recently.
But while the burial plot has already served more than 10,000 New Hampshire veterans since its formation, the additional money will allow it to bring its services up to the level of national veteran’s cemetery, according to the announcement. That includes services such as cement crypts.
The funds were secured through the Veterans Administration’s Veterans Cemetery Grants Program, which aims to expand cemeteries to allow burial options close to veterans’ homes.
In a statement, Horne hailed the new funding.
“We have been working to secure this funding for a few years, executing the Cemetery master plan and trying to provide our veterans all burial options currently available at the national veteran cemeteries,” he said in a statement. “We are very pleased to see our planning efforts now moving into the construction phase.”
Shaheen, who helped implement the program as governor, agreed.
“This grant will support the cemetery’s expansion by funding construction and necessary improvements to the cemetery’s infrastructure, ensuring that service members will continue to be honored,” she said.