May 2025 Update to Tri-Cities Veterans Community on the Proposed Tri-Cities State Veterans Cemetery

May 2025 Update to Tri-Cities Veterans Community on the Proposed Tri-Cities State Veterans Cemetery

Dear Community Members:

The final step in the 2025 Legislative Session budget process was for the Governor to take action on the various budget bills.  On May 20, Governor Ferguson signed SB 5195 which included funding for the Proposed State Veterans Cemetery in the Tri-Cities area.  $500,000 will be directed to WDVA for the purpose of conducting a Pre-Design Study to identify all off and on-site costs for a new cemetery in the Tri-Cities area. This will inform the VA grant application and provide an estimate for future state funding requests to complete the project.

While we did not receive funding to purchase the land, the pre-design funding shows the state’s commitment and intent to move forward with this very important project.  WDVA intends to request money to purchase the land in the 2026 Supplemental Capital Budget.  This process will begin in September, when budget requests are due to the Governor’s Office and if included in the Governor’s proposed budget, the request will move to the legislature for their consideration in January 2026.

We continue to work with the two property owners to determine the most suitable and feasible site for the cemetery; one parcel is owned by the City of Richland and the other is owned by a private citizen.

The pre-design study will provide information on both parcels and costs associated with their development, suitability of land, availability of infrastructure resources, historic and archaeological land use, among other considerations.

Following the purchase of land, WDVA can apply to the Federal VA Cemetery Construction Grant Program which will pay up to 100% of the construction costs.  Keep in mind the federal VA Construction Grant does not pay for the land purchase or off-site improvement costs, so these are important considerations as we determine which parcel will be selected.

Please stay tuned as we continue our journey to bring a State Veterans Cemetery to the Tri-Cities area!  This is a multi-year process and we would like to stay connected with you throughout, so if you have questions, please share them with us at CemeteryTri-Cities@dva.wa.gov or look for us at community events coming to the Tri-Cities this summer!  WDVA plans to attend and share information on the proposed cemetery and other Veterans Benefits on:

• June 14 at the USS Triton Commemorative Wall Dedication;
• June 28th at Cool Desert Nights; and
• September 13 at Hogs & Dogs.

 We look forward to continuing our work with you!