By Renee Worthing
Register Reporter
The vision of the Southern Maine Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery Association to create a veterans’ cemetery in Springvale is taking shape, and the groups expects to break ground this fall, Chairman Ray Parent said.
“We are waiting for actual word [in order to] go out to bid,” he said. “It’s supposed to come any time.”
Springvale is “on the list” this year to receive $2 million from the federal government for the project, although the cost is expected to be about $4 million, he said.
The federal allocation would fund the first of three construction phases, which would include constructing parcels for burial, should take about one year to complete.
Parent said he is unsure when burial can begin because the land must first be seeded to grow a lawn in accordance with state and federal regulations.
When complete, the Sanford Regional Veterans Cemetery will be the fourth veterans’ cemetery in Maine. The nearest is located in Augusta, about 80 miles away.
The cemetery project began several years ago when Springvale resident and National Executive Committee for Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary member, Marie Clancy, sought assistance from the town of Sanford/Springvale to establish a cemetery.
Parent said Clancy approached Carll, Heald and Black Funeral Home owner John Black, who proposed donating 57.2 acres of the Riverside Cemetery in Springvale to the state. However, only 37.5 acres of the land was developable because of ledge and wetlands. A condition of the federal government required the cemetery have an operating life of 20 years, but officials were concerned the proposed land would be filled to capacity before that. An additional 55 acres of town-owned land adjacent to Riverside Cemetery was identified as suitable for the proposed veterans cemetery.
In May 2002, the town of Sanford voted to approve the transfer of 30.5 acres of the 55-acre parcel of land to the state for development of a veterans cemetery when certain conditions were met, such as approval of the Sanford Planning Board and site investigation funding by the government.
Parent said there have been many hurdles the association and state had to overcome to finalize the deal, including site investigation, master plan approval by the Sanford Planning Board and final reports that met the Veterans Administration requirements.
 Last year, after meeting all the conditions, the town-owned land was transferred to the state of Maine for the sum of $1.
Southern Maine Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery Association consulted with architects and land surveyors to develop a master plan that meets the visions of the association while satisfying the federal and state regulations.
Parent said the state made some architectural changes, but nothing that deviates too much from the original plan.
He said the state was also concerned about protecting vernal pools, the shallow, natural depressions in level ground that hold water seasonally. While the vernal pools are seasonal, the lack of fish creates a safe haven for the growth of amphibians and insects. Parent said the current setback from such pools is 250 feet, which diminishes the amount of useable land, but he said there is a bill in Legislature to reduce the setback to 100 feet.
While the federal government will fund the construction, the state would provide the upkeep of the cemetery. The association will be responsible for beautification of the cemetery and raising money for enhancements, Parent said.
Contact Renee Worthing at news@intheregister.com or 282-4337 ext. 240