The first state-owned veterans cemetery will not be located in Jamestown.

The Jamestown Veterans Memorial Commission meet online last week to discuss the proposal by the state Division of Veterans Services, which is seeking a possible location for the first state-owned veterans cemetery.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist said state officials are requesting for municipalities to propose possible locations for the future cemetery, which would be owned and maintained by the state. He said there are several veteran cemeteries in the state, but not one that is currently owned by the state.

“This would be the first for the state,” he said.

Josh Miller, commission member, said he has two concerns. One is that the deadline for the request is March 18, which doesn’t give the commission much time to prepare a proposal.

According to the state Office of General Services, the request to municipalities about possible locations for the state-owned veterans cemetery was issued Feb. 18.

Miller’s second concern is where would the cemetery be located. Again, he believes the commission doesn’t have enough time to scope out possible locations by the March 18 deadline.

Russell E. Diethrick Jr. and Barclay Wellman, commission members, agreed with Miller that there is not much time to make a decision on a possible location.

“There is no location (selected),” Sundquist said. “I just wanted to see if you wanted (the state-owned cemetery). If you don’t want it, that is OK. I just wanted to touch base before the response day passes us.”

Tory Irgang, who is not a commission member, but is the executive director of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, asked if the area at Lake View Cemetery across from Marvin Parkway, also known as Veteran’s Grove, could be a possible location because it’s already being used for veteran burials. Diethrick asked if any local cemeteries had been contacted about being a location for a state-owned veterans cemetery. He also doubts there would be enough time for cemetery officials to make a decision before the deadline.

Sundquist said there has been no discussions with cemeteries on behalf of the city. He said the first step the city was taking in the process was to talk to commission members.

“My first response was to bring (commission members) together,” he said. “If you think there is not enough time. That is OK. I just wanted to talk about it first. I didn’t want to pass this up without first discussing it.”

The commission didn’t take a vote on the proposal, so no possible locations will be submitted to the state.

Last year, a five-member committee was tasked with overseeing the establishment of New York’s first veterans cemetery. Gov. Andrew Cuomo named Jim McDonough, director of the state Division of Veterans’ Services, chair of the panel.

The other members are Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields, commissioner of the state Division of Military and Naval Affairs; RoAnn Destito, commissioner of the state Office of General Services; Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and Rossana Rosada, New York secretary of state and chair of the state cemetery board.

The panel will lead the site selection process for the cemetery and create an action plan outlining how the site will be operated.

Cuomo included the creation of the state’s first veterans cemetery in his 2020 State of the State agenda.

“It is our obligation to ensure that the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect this great nation are honored with a dignified place to rest alongside their fellow service members in New York,” Cuomo said.

New York is one of the few states without a state veterans cemetery, according to Cuomo’s office. There are approximately 681,000 veterans living in New York and more than 70% of them are at least 55 years old.