KILMICHAEL, Miss.- With a goal of a 75-mile radius to any cemetery in the state, the entire state of Mississippi is covered… except for one area. Which is why the state Veterans Affairs Board wanted to make sure to get another cemetery to cover that space.
The town of Kilmichael, with a population of about 800 (According to the 2000 Census) in Montgomery County, is the spot they have chosen. State Veterans Affair Board Executive Director Randy Reaves says the town is the perfect spot to reach their goal.
“Once we have that cemetery in place in Kilmichael, all of our veterans in Mississippi, or at least 90 to 95 percent of our veterans will have a burial option within 75 miles of their home, and that’s what the goal is,” Reaves said.
The program, called the State Cemetery Grants Program, funds all of the state cemeteries. The application for the Kilmichael cemetery has already been submitted.
Bid openings for contractors were this week, but no one has been chosen yet.
If they do receive funding, they are hoping to begin construction around September or October of this year, with the expected completion date at some point in 2017.
