The plan will serve veterans for the next 100 years
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. - Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan today announced plans for the creation of a Memorial Pavilion at the Ulster County Veterans Cemetery located at the New Paltz Rural Cemetery. The project, made with materials inspired by the Shawangunk Ridge, will include more land dedicated to the internment of veterans and their spouses in addition to the pavilion. With the potential of additional plots, the expansion will be able to handle veteran’s burials for the next 100 years.
The function of the Memorial Pavilion is to provide a location for interment services away from the actual gravesite. In a veteran’s cemetery, where specific gravesites are not reserved for individuals, the burial area is usually not a suitable location for the committal service. The Memorial Pavilion will be designed as a quiet, open, covered pavilion that can serve as a facility for family and friends of the deceased to honor their loved ones at any time.
“This project will allow Ulster County to honor our veterans for the next century,” Pat Ryan, Ulster County Executive said. “As the County Executive and as a combat veteran, I am committed to ensuring that we recognize the selfless service of the thousands of veterans here in our county. This new addition will serve as a monument for the brave men and women who fought to protect our nation.”
“Ulster County is a deeply patriotic place and honors its veterans by prioritizing their burial through the sponsorship of its County Veteran Cemetery,” Steve Masse, Former Director of Ulster County Veteran Services Agency said. “We are fortunate to have elected leadership with a vision to continue and expand this local program. The Ulster County Veteran Cemetery expansion is needed to address the imminent compete filling of the current cemetery footprint, and to ensure resident veterans have a local place of honor for their burial for generations to come."
“As part of our continued commitment to the veterans and their families of Ulster County, our agency along with the New Paltz Rural Cemetery are ensuring that our veterans are treated with the utmost dignity and respect,” Frank Reggero, Interim Director of Ulster County Veteran Services Agency said. “Our commitment reflects a 100-year plan to honor and respect our veterans.”
Ulster County veterans are eligible for a burial and grave marker at no expense, upon request of next of kin. The veteran must have served in the Armed Forces of the U.S. or National Guard, received no less than a “general” discharge and been a resident of Ulster County. Ulster County pays for the cost of the veteran’s burial plot, grave marker footing, and interment.
Local funeral directors should be aware of the procedure to request a veteran plot, or you may contact the Ulster County Veteran Services Agency for information at (845) 340-3190. The Ulster County Veterans Cemetery was established on November 11, 2008. The expansion is anticipated to open in the Fall of 2020.
###
Pictures: Veteran Cemetery Design Concept
