Politics & Government
Veterans' Remains Left in Limbo as Mass. Memorial Cemetery Project Stalls
WGBH reports the remains of 122 military veterans, spouses being stored in temporary metal storage lockers. Contractor blames state.
AGAWAM, MA — The remains of more than 100 military veterans and their spouses are in limbo as a a clash between the state and an Auburn construction contractor continues over a piece of land in Agawam.
WGBH reports that the remains of 122 people are being housed in "a temporary structure made of metal lockers" as work by Auburn-based Maverick Construction Management to expand the state-owned Agawam Veterans Memorial Cemetery lags behind.
"They're like what you'd have for lockers in a gym where you lock up your clothes," one source told the public radio station.
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The 7-acre project was supposed to take less than five months, but the federally funded expansion (already totaling nearly $1 million in work) continues, according to WGBH.
The state has essentially threatened to fire the company for the delays; a Maverick worker in charge of the project blames the temporary storage situation on the state's overseeing agency, which he said took too long to bid out the contract and has poorly managed the project.
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There's much more to the story. Read it in full from WGBH here.
Agawam Cemetery photo via Google Images
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