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National Cemetery of the Alleghenies to add burial plots

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The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township plans to add roughly 10,000 burial sites for veterans.

The proposed expansion could include 6,000 burial plots and a second columbarium, or above-ground tomb, that would hold 4,000 funeral urns, cemetery director Ronald Hestdalen said.

Hestdalen said the cost of the project is unknown because the expansion is only in the design phase.

The expansion would take place on property the cemetery already owns, and construction could start as early as next spring.

“We are unsure how long this will take,” Hestdalen said. “Deadlines will be established. We must wait for the final design.”

Hestdalen classified the new plots as a part of the cemetery’s “natural evolution.”

“The cemetery opened in 2005. Now, we are looking into the future,” he said.

There are 10,000 people buried at the cemetery, Hestdalen said. The cemetery covers 292 acres, and so far, only 91 acres have been used. The site was designed to hold 160,000 plots.

“We aren’t running out of gravesites. We have ample space,” Hestdalen said. “We are just planning for the future.”

The proposed expansion would ensure enough burial space for the next decade. Hestdalen said the cemetery averages 27 burials a week.

“We take all eligible veterans,” he said. “They have to have served on active duty and were honorably discharged. Spouses are also eligible.”

Improvements to roads, signs and committal shelters also will occur during the expansion.

Hestdalen said there are more than 300,000 veterans living in Western Pennsylvania. The National Cemetery of the Alleghenies is one of three cemeteries in Pennsylvania run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. There are 131 national cemeteries for veterans.

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