results from a due diligence investigation shouldn’t be the deciding factor in greenlighting a project. Rather, those findings should be part of a developer or investor’s decision calculus. A crucial early step in any adaptive reuse development, investing in professional due diligence upfront is the best way to make an informed go-no-go decision about a project.
LESLIE S. JETER, PE is a Manager in the Structural Engineering Division at Draper Aden Associates, a Mid-Atlantic engineering, survey, and environmental services firm. Based in the firm’s Richmond, VA office, he has over three decades of experience working with development teams on adaptive reuse projects and has conducted numerous due diligence investigations. He can be contacted at ljeter@daa.com.
Army Corps improves historic cemetery for the living By JoAnne Castagna, Ed.D.
West Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of the United States Mili - tary Academy at West Point, New York is America’s oldest military post cemetery and a national historic landmark. “Historic, park-like, cemeteries like this, were never intended just to be resting places for the dead,” said Ulysses Grant Dietz, Historian. “They were always envisioned as places of interaction and memory for the living.” Dietz is the great great grandson of Army General Ulysses S. Grant who was the America’s 18th president and commander in chief and the great-grandson of Major General, Frederick Dent Grant, who has a grave in the West Point Cemetery. To ensure this cemetery continues to serve this purpose, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District its expanding and improving the serene grounds for the thousands of visitors who come to the cem- etery each year. Raymond Pifer, project manager, New York District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said, “This project supports the Army’s commitment to provide in-ground burial to authorized service members and their families who have dedicated their lives in the service of this nation.” West Point’s 200-year old academy is located 50 miles north of New York City on the Hudson River and its cemetery sits in the northeast corner of the campus, overlooking the water. The cemetery’s sprawling 11-acre grounds is home to 9,000 graves and several monuments, including the distinguished Old Cadet Chapel that greets visitors at the entrance.
The cemetery was created in 1817, but before this the grounds were used by residents for burials, including the graves of soldiers from as far back as the Revolutionary War. The cemetery holds some of America’s most storied military leaders and historic figures that includes distinguished soldiers, Medal of Honor Recipients, astronauts, athletes, and family members. These include individuals like GEN Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., com - mander of coalition forces in the Gulf War; LTC Edward White II, the first American to walk in space; and Major GEN Frederick Dent Grant, son of President Ulysses S. Grant, who was a soldier and U.S. Minister to Austria-Hungary. Dietz, who is on the board of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and speaks annually at “Grant’s Tomb” in New York City said, “Each gravesite associated with President Grant or with his wife Julia is im - portant to the Association. General Grant was the first of three career generals named Grant to be launched by the Academy; the fact that his eldest son Fred lies here with his wife, Ida, makes it an especially important historical spot for the Association.” West Point Cemetery, located on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York is America’s oldest military post cemetery and a national historic landmark. Photo: JoAnne Castagna
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july 2021
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