Chattanooga VA National Cemetery Director Deborah Kendrick said the VA has identified six possible sites for cemetery expansion in Chattanooga.
She said those locations have not been made public.
Ms. Kendrick said the VA hopes to break ground for a new cemetery in 2027 or 2028.
The federal government said last year that it was running out of ground at the cemetery and was looking for a large site within 30 miles of Chattanooga.
Ms. Kendrick also told members of the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council that Veterans Day and Memorial Day services will be held at the cemetery going forward. Work around the cemetery led to this year’s Memorial Day event to be moved to the National Guard Armory on Holtzclaw Avene.
Ms. Kendrick said off site parking will probably be necessary because of space limitations.
The Chattanooga Veterans Clinic manager Jessica McDermott told the CAVC the new clinic is open for business in spite of COVID 19. The director said the clinic saw their first veteran patient on Feb. 21. She said there will be an open house but no date has been set.
The VA is still requiring everyone entering the facility to wear a mask and the director does not know when that mandate will be lifted.