Special report: New veterans cemetery will be much closer for Winneshiek County veterans

David Swantek (center) spoke to the Preston Area Community Foundation dinner on March 24th (photo by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott)

Winneshiek County has an estimated 1,300 to 1,500 veterans.  Being located in the northeast corner of the state has often required veterans to drive a fair distance for services.  Veterans used to commonly drive to the VA Clinic in Iowa City for medical services--until the Veterans Administration opened a clinic in Decorah.

Likewise, families of veterans who want to bury their loved ones in a veterans cemetery now need to drive 220 miles--almost four hours--to Iowa's only veterans cemetery in Van Meter.  But that situation is about to change.

A new veterans cemetery will open next spring in Preston, Minnesota on a 169-acre site donated to the State of Minnesota by Fillmore County.  Even though the cemetery is located across a state line, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affira Cemetery Director David Swantek tells decorahnews.com, "We don't want to exclude our friends from Iowa."

Swantek says the new cemetery is being constructed because Minnesota was able to show a significant population of over 50,000 "unserved" veterans within 75 miles of Preston--an area that includes not only Southeastern Minnesota, but Northeast Iowa and Western Wisconsin as well.

Construction on the cemetery started last October and is expected to be completed by this fall, although the cemetery won't begin operation until the spring of 2015.

It is a "significant" project, says Swantek, with a price tag over $10 million.  But the cemetery is being designed to be in operation for at least 50 years.

Swantek tells decorahnews.com that he and his department will be doing outreach to veterans affairs directors in Northeast Iowa, to make sure every veteran understands the Preston cemetery will be an option for them.

Winneshiek County Veterans Affairs Director Faith Hlubek says that should be welcome news to the families of Winneshiek County veterans, since many of them are reluctant to use the Van Meter veterans cemetery, since it is such a long drive from Decorah.

(decorahnews.com will have additional news stories about the new veterans cemetery in the days to come)