"Cemetery buildings, by nature, must be built to last for long periods of time, particularly those that have been newly created," observes Tom Dyszkiewicz, senior vice president of business development for Englert, Inc. "Consequently, the designers of cemeteries, and in particular state and federal facilities for veterans, are planning structures designed to last for a very long time with a minimal amount of maintenance and repair. A metal roof will last 40 to 50 years if properly maintained. Owners and managers of private cemeteries, particularly older ones where the funds might be more limited, should also be thinking along the same lines—only because the resources might not be readily available 15 or 20 years after an administration or maintenance building is built and it needs a new roof to protect records and equipment."
A good example of such planning can be found at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Cemetery, New Jersey's first state-operated veterans cemetery. The cemetery was named for the principal guiding force behind its development, U.S. Army Brigadier General William C. Doyle.
The facility was funded jointly by the state and federal governments and is managed by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. It is open to eligible New Jersey veterans, residents who are members of the Armed Forces or reserve units on active duty at the time of death, and certain dependents and certain merchant marines and civilians who have been awarded veterans status.
The cemetery, located in Arneytown, about 15 miles southeast of the state capitol of Trenton, is a contemporary memorial type with all grave markers flush with ground level. It covers 225 acres and was designed to accommodate 154,000 veterans and their family members. Approximately 15 burials occur each business day and the cemetery is visited by thousands of visitors each year.
Designed under the direction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, facilities include a chapel/administration building, a maintenance complex, outside committal shelter and designated memorial sections for the interment of cremated remains and veterans whose remains have never been recovered.
The most prominent feature on the cemetery site is the modern, non-denominational chapel/administration building. Built atop a 50-foot-high hill just off to the right of the main entrance, the brick and natural stone structure overlooks the entire facility. Set on a circular plaza, its location on the wooded hilltop permits the isolation of committal service operations from other visitations.
The Corps specified a standing seam metal roof for its durability and aesthetics for the chapel/administration building and for an attached garage and two maintenance facilities, all within yards of each other. The general contractor, Ascend Construction Management, Inc. of Eatontown, N.J., chose Englert's 16"-wide Series 2500 panel for the administration building and the two adjacent maintenance structures. The panel color is Champagne. Used for the exterior walls of the two maintenance buildings was Englert's Unirib C-36 exposed fastener wall panel. The roofing contractor, Primco Construction of Toms River, N.J., installed about 30,000 square feet of roofing panels on the three buildings and about 10,000 square feet of wall panels on the two maintenance structures.