PBS&J Helps Texas Honor Veterans Through State Cemetery Program
Two cemeteries open, design process begins on the third.
Austin, TX (PRWEB) May 25, 2007 -- More families of Texas veterans now have a place to honor loved ones who have served their country, thanks to PBS&J. The engineering, construction management, architectural and environmental sciences consulting firm is working with the Texas Veterans Land Board on the Texas State Veterans Cemetery Program, an initiative to build seven veterans cemeteries across the state with the goal of having one within a two-hour drive of nearly every Texas city.
"There just isn't room in our national cemeteries to honor all of the veterans," said Jerry Patterson, chairman of the Texas Veterans Land Board. "The need for state veterans cemeteries is great. Burial in these hallowed grounds is not a benefit given. It's a right earned."
In May 2001, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 310 to authorize the creation of up to seven state veterans cemeteries, which will supplement the four U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) cemeteries in Texas. The first two cemeteries in the program planned and designed by PBS&J -- the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen and the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission -- both opened last year.
Planning for the third cemetery, located in Abilene, is under way and designs are scheduled to be complete this summer. The Texas State Veterans Cemetery Committee has selected Corpus Christi as the fourth cemetery site to be developed through the program.
"Our goal in designing the state veterans cemeteries is to create the look, feel and sense of deference present at places like Arlington National Cemetery," said Scott Smiley, project manager for PBS&J. "We have a high regard for our veterans in Texas, and PBS&J is proud to help create places of honor, quiet dignity and natural beauty that will stand the test of time and stir the souls of future generations of Americans."
Both the Killeen and Mission cemeteries feature an amphitheater layout, which allows every headstone to be viewed from the access roads to the facilities. Buildings in the cemeteries are also uniquely designed to complement surrounding local architecture.
The Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery currently includes an information center, administration building, committal shelter, assembly area for ceremonies, columbarium for approximately 1,100 cremated remains, and approximately 6,500 in-ground burial places. The 174-acre site is capable of providing approximately 50,000 burial places for veterans, their spouses and eligible dependent children.
The Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery currently includes approximately 6,200 interment sites. The 75-acre cemetery site will ultimately provide approximately 26,000 burial locations.
PBS&J is also working on the expansion of the VA's Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.
About PBS&J (www.pbsj.com)
PBS&J is an employee-owned firm that provides infrastructure planning, engineering, environmental, construction management, architecture, and program management services to public and private clients. The firm is ranked by Engineering News-Record as 25th among the nation's top consulting firms. PBS&J has almost 3,900 employees located in more than 75 offices throughout the U.S. and abroad, including ten offices in Texas.
http://www.pbsj.com/Press/Releases/TexasCemeteries/index.asp
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