Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 7
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Effort underway to preserve land near veterans cemetery
etery. At the meeting, the county board voted to accept an offer from the city for the land if one is made. The county hopes to acquire the land at little to no cost. Shuda said the expansion “probably won’t be needed in our lifetimes,” but it’s impor- tant to preserve the land for future use. Shuda gave an update on the project, which expands and im- proves the existing Grand Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Capital Avenue. The cemetery will hopefully be completed in the spring. It’s “moving along very well,” Shuda said. The first burials could take place in the summer to late summer of 2025. The cemetery will feature a 40-foot carillon tower, with a clock on each of its four sides. “It’ll be like St. Mary’s Cathe-
dral, with the chiming of the bells,” Shuda said in an inter- view. Other highlights will be two bronze monuments. One will be of a soldier in a kneeling po- sition, as if he’s presenting the flag to a family. The other will be an American eagle with an 8-foot wingspan, to be built at the corner of Capital and Webb Road. Shuda said the completed cemetery will be pleasing to the eye “and worthy of our veterans that will be interred there.” Commissioner Pam Lan- caster said the cemetery will be “something we can all be proud of.” “This is really going to be a mini-Arlington,” she said. “I mean, it’s really going to be something to behold.” Also at the meeting, Loren “Doone” Humphrey said prepa- rations are underway to remove asbestos from the Department
of Health and Human Services building and the old jail, both of which will be demolished. Humphrey, the county’s building and grounds depart- ment director, said Pine Street will be closed in February or March at the earliest. A portion of Pine will be shut down per- manently to make way for the county’s courthouse addition. In addition, the board ap- proved the purchase of two Ford Maverick pickups.
JEFF BAHR jeff.bahr@theindependent.com The Nebraska Veterans Cem- etery at Grand Island isn’t even complete, but local veterans supporters are already looking to the future, when the cem- etery will need to expand. The Hall County Commis- sion took the first steps Tuesday toward preserving 26.2 acres north of the cemetery. The land is currently owned by the city. Local veterans sup- porters hope the property will be transferred to the county, which would lease it to United Veterans Club for up to 99 years. If the transfer occurs, hay or alfalfa will be planted on the ground, the proceeds from which would help maintain the appearance of the land. Hall County Veterans Service Officer Don Shuda and Mike Ponte of the United Veterans Club appeared at Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the cem-
HALL COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE PHOTOS ABOVE : A 40-foot carillon tower similar to this one will be built at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island. LEFT : A bronze eagle with an 8-foot wingspan will be featured at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island.
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