ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Jennifer Noble spent Wednesday afternoon with her family, visiting several loved ones out at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
"Most people need a spot to come to and visualize and help them deal with the loss," she said.
There are a few more of her relatives that haven't passed yet but will one day reside nearby.
"It’s the only one accepting new burials," said Noble.
Securing a spot for those relatives is not a guarantee at this point.
The assistant director of Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery said if nothing else changes, they will be at full capacity in just 10 years.
"If we are able to get the land from Sylvan Springs, that will extend the use of Jefferson Barracks through 2045," said Darrell Ryan.
It now appears the St. Louis County Council is willing to make that happen. The director of St. Louis County Parks told 5 On Your Side the county is offering to sell half of Sylvan Springs Park with Halsey Street being the dividing line.
Everything south of that road, except for the spring itself, would be transitioned over to burial grounds.
"We just wish they could have gone somewhere else," said Charlotte Day, an opponent of the park sale.
Day lives near Sylvan Springs and said she hates to lose her park oasis.
"Kids learn how to ride their bikes, they come maybe just to have lunch," she said.
Day said, knowing her husband resides at Jefferson Barracks and she'll join him when her time comes.
"It’s just that we wanted a better option. They just came in and decided this is what was going to happen," said Day.
She's also worried selling 34 acres is just a temporary fix, delaying the inevitable.
5 On Your Side took that question to Ryan.
"The National Cemetery Association’s goal is to provide all veterans and their families burial options within 75 miles of their home, so we’ll always be looking to provide a burial option of that nature for the St. Louis area," said Ryan.
That's a source of comfort for the Noble family, knowing her family will have their place too among the heroes in hallowed ground.
"To know that we won’t have to worry our scramble for a site, that’s a big relief, that takes a lot of pressure off," said Noble.
The V.A. would have to pay $2.4 million for those 34 acres. The final vote on the land deal takes place next Tuesday.
That doesn't mean that southern portion of Sylvan Springs closes automatically.
There's a clause in the deal where the V.A. can actually lease the park back to the county for the next 10 years, for just $1 a year. That move would keep the full park open until the V.A. needs it to start expanding the cemetery.
