Healey-Driscoll Administration Secures Over $4 Million in Federal Funding to Expand Veterans Memorial Cemeteries in Agawam and Winchendon

Healey-Driscoll Administration Secures Over $4 Million in Federal Funding to Expand Veterans Memorial Cemeteries in Agawam and Winchendon 

BOSTON- The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that the Executive Office of Veterans Services (EOVS) has been awarded more than $4 million in federal funding to expand the state’s two Veterans Memorial Cemeteries, located in Agawam and Winchendon. 

The grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration (NCA), will expand columbarium capacity at both cemeteries, ensuring that Massachusetts veterans and their families continue to have access to dignified resting places for the next decade. 

“This funding ensures that veterans and their families in Massachusetts will continue to have a dignified place of rest,” said Governor Maura Healey. “With these expansions, Massachusetts will continue to ensure that our veterans are laid to rest with the dignity, respect and honor they deserve, and that their families have beautiful and peaceful spaces to remember them.” 

“Our Veterans Memorial Cemeteries are sacred spaces where families come to remember and communities gather to pay tribute,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re proud to secure this funding that will preserve these grounds for generations to come.” 

“Every veteran deserves a final resting place that reflects their service,” said Secretary Jon Santiago. “These grants allow us to plan ahead and meet the needs of veterans for the next decade, while preserving the honor and dignity these cemeteries represent.”   

EOVS partnered with the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) to prepare and submit applications for the expansions. DCAMM will oversee construction, with work adhering to the federal Buy America Build America Act (BABA Act). 

• The Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Agawam was awarded $2,314.295 to construct a new columbarium plaza with five walls providing 1,550 niches for veteran cremains. 

• The Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Winchendon was awarded $1,781,558 to construct a new columbarium plaza with two walls providing 780 niches.

Both expansions meet the National Cemetery Administration’s 10-year build-out requirement. 

Kronenberger & Sons Restoration, Inc. of Middletown, CT, has been selected to complete the Agawam project, while Construction Dynamics, Inc. of Clinton, MA, will complete the Winchendon project. Both bids came in under budget. 

Massachusetts is home to more than 300,000 veterans. The state’s two Veterans Memorial Cemeteries provide a final resting place of honor, at no cost to eligible veterans and their spouses, and serve as enduring reminders of sacrifice and service. To learn more, visit www.mass.gov/veterans-cemeteries.