Return of grass at Fort Bliss National Cemetery?
El Paso City Council will discuss a proposed resolution urging the National Cemetery Administration to replace the xeriscaping at Fort Bliss National Cemetery with grass and sod during its regular council meeting on Tuesday.
The new cemetery director, Ame Callahan, said 62 million gallons of water were used to maintain the grass landscaping in 2006. That water came from a local aquifer, which is water used in households across the Sun City. Callahan said since they replaced the grass with gravel, the cemetery has cut 90 percent of its water usage. She gave ABC-7 a picture of what the national cemetery used to look like. It included odd patches of grass, some dead grass and sunken graves.
“All of these people here, all of these dead people, are my brothers and sisters. We’re all brethren. We all raised our hand and swore to defend this country,” veteran Frank Winslett said.
El Paso City Council may soon be joining the grassroots effort to bring green back to the national cemetery. Council members will vote Nov. 4 on whether to draw up the proposal that will be given to Congressman Beto O’Rourke.
For District 2 City Representative Larry Romero, the fight is close to his heart, because his mom is buried at Ft. Bliss National Cemetery.
“On Halloween, it’ll be 23 years since she’s passed away. So for me it’s more of a personal issue. When I come out here, I have to stand,” Romero said.
Many people ABC-7 saw at the cemetery had towels, blankets or pads with them so they could kneel to be with their buried loved ones.
Rep. Romero is hoping Congressman O’Rourke scores a home run when he goes up to bat for Ft. Bliss National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. with the resolution he expects city council to approve unanimously.
“Why not use purple water (reclaimed water) like Fort Bliss does for their golf courses? They got two golf courses filled with beautiful grass and trees,” Winslett asked. He said seeing the same beautiful landscaping from the front of the cemetery all around would mean a world of difference to him.
In the past, the Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees military cemeteries, has said it is cost prohibitive to reinstall and maintain grass at the Ft. Bliss Cemetery.
The cemetery director told ABC-7 in 2013 the rock saves taxpayers about $400,000 a year in reduced water costs, labor and pesticides. The cemetery even won a state award for that.
