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Category: Front Page News Front Page News
Published: 11 August 2016 11 August 2016

By Mary Alice Murphy

Allingham-Golding American Legion Post 18 Commander Ray Davis introduced Steve Davis, project manager for the construction efforts at Fort Bayard National Cemetery, to a full house of veterans on Wednesday, Aug. 10. "He's no kin to me," he chuckled.

[Editor's Note: The name Davis in the rest of the article unless noted otherwise, will refer to Steve Davis.]

"I take responsibility for where the project's at," Davis said. "The National Cemetery Administration generally tries to do its construction with veteran-owned businesses, especially disabled veterans.

"We don't want the contractor to fail," Davis said. "I stuck with the contractor too long. He ended up walking off the site. We tried to get him back. The structures are too high; the concrete is not great. We finally hired architects and engineers to get back to the project. We had a pre-construction meeting today, with four interested contractors. Two indicated they would bid. The bid will be opened Aug. 29 at 4 p.m."

He said those interested in the project are not required to visit the site.

Davis said the bid award should be made by mid- to end of September. "We will address a number of eyesores."

He said the concern he has is that the bids will come in over the amount of money available.

"We structured the bids to get the major things done, but maybe not everything," Davis said.

He commented on the gravel roads. "I have made the recommendation to pave them, but the state historic preservation officers said gravel roads are more fitting to the area."

"Why can't we add more money?" Davis asked and answered. "The limit is $10 million and we are up to $9.6 million. If bids come in reasonably, we will do what we can. I am trying to make sure we address major issues."

Frank Donohue asked who would be on site for quality control.

"We will have a full-time inspector on site," Davis said. "Most of what the first contractor did we rejected."

Veteran Tip Cowan asked what was not going to be done.

"We don't know yet," Davis answered. "The largest addition will be irrigation for the turf."

He explained the cemetery, which up until last year was under the purview of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, but with the district reshuffling, Fort Bayard is now under the Santa Fe National Cemetery. "One thing it did do was bring a part-time person here. I want to assure you that the NCA has not abandoned Fort Baard. We put in almost $10 million and it didn't work out. We are also trying to acquire 20 additional acres for gravesites."

A male veteran asked why they didn't get rid of the first contractor so as not to waste so much money. He also chided the VA for not requiring the contractors to visit the site. "That's just stupid," he said. "You have absolutely screwed this up. I realize there are rules and regulations dictated to you that you have to deal with."

"My preference would be to put mandatory site visits for bids," Davis said. "I suggest you bring this up to the head of contracting."

To a question, Davis said the burial areas will be irrigated turf, but around the buildings would be small stone. "The project was designed to get 120 acre-feet of water, but the property division folks in Santa Fe only allowed 40 acre-feet. We want to provide turf for the burial areas, but my concern is that 40 acre-feet is the minimum we need. If we add acreage, 40 acre-feet will not be sufficient. I don't know the solution."

At El Paso, gravel works, because it's flat, he said, but at Fort Bayard, "you have a 10 percent slope and gravel will not work. It will not stay. You can spray stabilizers, but they wear out and it's not environmentally friendly."

Veteran Jim Zawacki of the Veterans of Foreign Wars said the group needs to work with the state to resolve the water issue.

An audience member asked about the design of drainage and storm water control.

"We could save the storm water, if we had land to capture it," Davis said. "The extra 20 acres would allow us to have ponds. It would improve storm water quality and prevent erosion. We need a number of solutions and one we can look at."

He explained that he still has money left for the project, but cannot go over the statutory limit of $10 million.

A male veteran said if the first contractor was still in business, he shouldn't be. "We need more communication between state, federal and local officials. We need to get everyone together on this."

Ray Davis noted that state Sen. Howie Morales was present, as was Melanie Goodman from U.S. Sen. Tom Udall's officer and Joe Martinez from Congressman Steve Pearce's office. "They are all supportive. Steve will keep me apprised at least monthly."

"We need to work together no matter our branch of service or organization," Ray Davis said. "Let your representatives know what you want and it will get done."

To Steve Davis, Ray Davis asked how the veterans together could help. "After the bid is awarded, can we help address other issues?" Steve Davis indicated it was a contractual problem.

Goodman said Sen. Udall's office had reached out to the Pacific region of the NCA and Santa Fe.

In a letter, a copy of which Goodman later gave to the Beat, Udall expressed his ongoing concerns about the state of renovations of the Fort Bayard National Cemetery. He noted he had first contacted the Interim Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs of the NCA, Ronald E. Walters, in 2014, and as of July 15, 2016, the project was still not complete. "The Fort Bayard National Cemetery continues to have issues with neglected landscaping, flooding and insufficient drainage, incomplete structures, restricted walkways and a general state of disrepair. I continue to feel that this is unacceptable and unworthy of a national cemetery site. Every day Fort Bayard National Cemetery is incomplete due to delays is a dishonor to the veterans interred there and their families."

Goodman said another concern was the proposed expansion and the water issue.

Davis said the water has to come with the land.

WWII veteran Gene Lewis said: "In not too many years, I'm going to be out there. I have questions on the columbarium. Will it be expanded?" He said Terrazas Funeral Chapel had told him about 60 percent of their business is now cremation. "Meaning we need more land devoted to that," Lewis said.

"There is a columbarium, and we also have a standard burial area with preplaced crypts," Davis replied. "With cremation, there are two choices, into the in-ground area or the columbarium. We have about 15 years of sites left, and the expansion would give us many more years."

He said Fort Bayard is mostly rock, and it has to be hammered out for gravesites.

Cowan asked why the NCA was going only for 20 acres, when much more was available.

Davis said the agency has 100 acres to look at. "That is done by those who do land acquisition. As long as this country is still here, we will have burials out there."

An audience member said the state needs to address the water waste at Fort Bayard.

Davis agreed and said: "At my meetings I took many beatings for wanting more water."

Chamber director Scott Terry noted the concrete pad at the ceremonial shelter is disintegrating, causing a hazard. Davis said that is in the plan to demolish it and replace it.

To a remark about using gray water to irrigate, Davis said once the infrastructure is closer to Fort Bayard, the plan is to use treated effluent from the regional wastewater treatment plant.

Davis answered a question about how long the project would take. He said it would depend. "If we get a protest, it will prolong the project. We have 270 days allocated to complete it once the work can begin. We want to finish the columbarium, finish the buildings and, install the irrigation. We won't put in turf until the weather is warmer."

Goodman asked if the current bid process includes problems with flooding.

"We will lower the road to add a true curb and drainage around the buildings to prevent flooding," Davis said.

A veteran asked about a possible advisory board for the cemetery. Davis asked him to put together a white paper and give it to Ray Davis to send to him.

The same veteran asked about people and volunteers to take care of the place. "Fantastic," Davis said. "Fort Bayard deserves that."

Zawacki said the area has many people with expertise who could be asked and could help. "They need to be listened to."

"My money comes from Congress," Davis said. "The operations and maintenance needs to come from the district. I'm not sure how that contract works. The Pacific District and Santa Fe right now have no permanent director. Unless it's in the contract, you can't do it. Right now, it washes and you have to clean up."

A woman said her parents are buried at Fort Bayard. "In 1997, we had a beautification committee. We asked if we could put rose bushes and benches out. We got permission and it worked well. The contractor took out the benches. They put them back, but out in the sun, instead of under the trees."

She also said people are driving on the graves. "It's disrespectful. We need a barrier to keep cars out. I called Santa Fe, but didn't get a call back. Fort Bliss used to call me back. It would be nice to get responses."

Davis said he would send her information to people "who should know better."

A man in the audience asked about the avenue of flags and Davis said it would go back in.

To a question about whether the part-time person at Fort Bayard is a VA employee, the employee himself, Joseph Trujillo, said he works part-time for the Silver City VA Clinic. "I am always at a funeral service. On the issue of driving on graves, we are supposed to get signs."

A man asked about parking near the graves, so people don't drive on them. "Will you add parking?"

Trujillo said nothing in the plan calls for parking, but it does call for curbs.

Davis said the so-called ribbon curb is the separation between the road and the graves. Trujillo agreed that parking needed to be looked into

Ray Davis thanked Steve Davis for coming to the meeting. "Now we see some progress. We're all veterans. If we work together, we are a strong voice. Maybe we should hold a town hall meeting like this on the water, parking and expansion issues."