The idea of building another State Veteran’s Cemetery in the Upper Cumberland Region has been kicked around for several years. The State Department is saying that time is near. According to Veterans’ Services Assistant Commissioner Travis Murphy, the new government leadership in Nashville is committed to finding the right property for the facility. He says that “we are still shooting for a July time frame.” Murphy says that by that time, the National Cemetery Administration can certify that the property is owned and have 10 percent of the design ready with architectural engineering funding in place. The search continues for land that meets the NCA requirements and is located near a heavily populated area. Both Cumberland and Putnam counties have been targeted, along with portions of White and Smith counties. The General Assembly has already appropriated $600,000 to help purchase the land, which is earmarked to be within a 75-mile radius of other such national cemeteries. The Upper Cumberland State Veterans Cemetery Association has collected nearly $200,000 in county donations.