Build the Veterans Memorial Center. During the first burials conducted at the Fargo National Cemetery (FNC), the issues of no amenities, gathering spaces, parking, or restrooms were identified. These issues were presented to the staff of Fort Snelling National Cemetery, which oversees the FNC, and the FMHG was informed by the National Cemetery Administration (NCA), which runs the FNC, that they would not construct any buildings at the cemetery.
Therefore, the FMHG decided to pursue this building project privately, without NCA guidelines, time constraints, and restrictions.
The Fargo Memorial Honor Guard has identified four issues it would like to address and resolve by constructing the Veterans Memorial Center.
1) Lack of shelter.
According to the January 2022 National Cemetery Administration Design Guide, the VA is limited to what they can authorize for a shelter.
“A Committal Service Shelter is an open-covered pavilion intended to provide temporary shelter from the wind, rain, and sun for an interment service. If authorized, site features such as windbreaks for the predominant wind direction and a partially enclosed structure at sites with extreme weather should be provided. Full enclosure, lighting, heating, and other enhancements are not authorized.”
The Veterans Memorial Center will offer a comfortable, inviting setting, providing shelter for families during in-climate weather conditions, be it rain, snow, cold, or heat. Despite the weather conditions, families and visitors will still receive military honors.
2) Limited parking,
The NCA does not provide any traditional parking spaces. Typically, visitors must park parallel along the Committal Shelter Drive. During larger cemetery events such as National Vietnam War Veterans Day or Memorial Day, vehicle parking may be accommodated by parking on Cass County 20 or at the Missouri Valley Lutheran Church parking lot. Cass County 20 is a busy county road and is heavily traveled, making it highly concerning for the elderly and handicapped individuals. This is neither a convenient nor safe option, especially during in-climate weather or high traffic volume.
The Veterans Memorial Center will have a paved, lighted parking lot with sidewalks, allowing visitors to walk safely from the parking lot to the Veterans Memorial Center or the Fargo National Cemetery.
3) Lack of gathering space.
Currently, the FNC has no amenities, and the closest facility for family and friends to gather at is the VFW Post 7564, located in West Fargo, which is 10 minutes away.
The National Cemetery Administration has stated that no funding exists for any planned buildings at Rural Initiative Cemeteries. If money cannot be raised locally to construct a building, it will not be built.
The Veterans Memorial Center will offer friends and families a place to gather before the Military Honors and interment of their loved one. It will allow them to reminisce in a comfortable, inviting setting as they pay their last respects to our fallen comrade.
4) Restrooms.
The National Cemetery Administration (NCA)built a single-sex toilet near the entrance of the Fargo National Cemetery in 2023. Due to construction problems, this toilet has been out of service for weather-related damages multiple times since it was completed.
“The NCA is assessing the issue to determine what work will be required to repair the pipes and restore restroom functionality. In the meantime, the NCA has installed two port johns for visitors to use.”
The Veterans Memorial Center will have restrooms for both sexes and because they are being constructed inside the building, they should not have problems like the free-standing toilet currently in use.
