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A press conference was held Oct. 4, 2023, to announce the designation of property adjacent to Camp Williams to be used for a cemetery for Saratoga Springs.

Courtesy AnnElise Harrison

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A concept plan for the cemetery to be built in Saratoga Springs adjacent to Camp Williams. The concept plan is tentative and has not yet been approved by the Saratoga Springs City Council.

Courtesy AnnElise Harrison

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The property on which Saratoga Springs' cemetery will be built is 20 acres and lies adjacent to Camp Williams. The area is pictured on the left, marked with a light green and pink box. Construction is anticipated to begin by the end of next year.

Courtesy AnnElise Harrison

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A press conference was held Oct. 4, 2023, to announce the designation of property adjacent to Camp Williams to be used for a cemetery for Saratoga Springs.

Courtesy AnnElise Harrison

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A cemetery for the city of Saratoga Springs will be built bordering Camp Williams. The site was originally going to be developed into residential units.

Courtesy AnnElise Harrison

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A 20-acre plot of land adjacent to Camp Williams is now designated to become a cemetery for the city of Saratoga Springs. Construction could begin by the end of next year.

Courtesy AnnElise Harrison

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The next step for Saratoga Springs’ growth as a young city will be receiving a cemetery for residents to be able to lay their loved ones to rest near their home.

Saratoga Springs is almost 27 years old, and with the city being started from scratch, this next step provides residents with an amenity they will need but is not at the forefront of their minds, Saratoga Springs Mayor Jim Miller explained. “We’re just kind of filling in these pieces as we go and trying to be wise stewards of the money that residents have entrusted us with,” he said.

Joining together with Herriman City and the Utah National Guard, Saratoga Springs acquired land adjacent to Camp Williams for the cemetery. The 20 acres of property were originally part of the Wildflower Development, and the original plan was to construct 57 residential housing units on the property. The development was adjusted to make the land available for the cemetery while still allowing the developer to maintain the value of the density of the land by moving it to other areas within the development.

The Utah National Guard assisted the cities in acquiring the land through the Army Compatible Use Program, or ACUB, which balances the impact development has on military installations and the impact military training may have on a neighborhood sitting on the boundaries of the installation. ACUB minimizes the impact by creating a buffer between a military installation and nearby neighborhoods. In this case, the cemetery is acting as a buffer while still providing a necessity to the Saratoga Springs community.

Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber said a cemetery is compatible with Camp Williams and is the type of thing they look for to be built along the boundary of the camp. He added it will likely not affect any of their training. “We don’t anticipate anybody making complaints from the cemetery, but you never know,” he said, laughing. He added they do not anticipate much disruption from the military training during funerals or when people are visiting the cemetery.

Choosing to place a cemetery on the border of Camp Williams instead of a neighborhood ensured there were not significant impacts to residents of Saratoga Springs and to Camp Williams, Kroeber said.

Guardsmen at Camp Williams engage in training at night, including helicopter training, as well as shooting practice and other training that could be disruptive to a neighborhood. As neighborhoods are built bordering the training base, Kroeber explained, complaints sometimes arise from residents and the concern arises for Camp Williams that the ability to train soldiers will become reduced and restricted. The replacement of the residential units with the cemetery stops this from happening, he said.

“And that’s what this whole program (ACUB) is about, is trying to create a separation between the local population and the military training environment so that it’s compatible and we don’t impact either party,” Kroeber said. The program intends to minimize stress on local communities and on what military activities can be done in the future.

Thousands of soldiers come to train at Camp Williams every year, Kroeber said, and they are often out in the community to eat, shop or stay in hotels, which brings economic value to the community.

He said, “As long as we can stay there and development is compatible with our military training mission, we continue to provide that to the local communities.” In addition, many of those working or training at Camp Williams live in and are part of the community with their family, he said.

“We really value being part of the community. … Anything that we can do to contribute to those in the area, we try hard to do that while balancing that impact that we have on neighbors and friends right across our fence,” Kroeber said.

Miller explained the importance of the buffer between Camp Williams and neighborhoods, saying, “By putting this buffer here, we get the benefits of a beautiful cemetery that has open space and a final resting place for people out there (in the cemetery) and they (Camp Williams) can still do their military operations without impacting housing.”

The land was paid in full by ACUB grants, meaning Saratoga Springs residents did not have to pay for the property. Miller explained Herriman City is part of ACUB, meaning they can acquire the land and then transfer it, which is what allowed Saratoga Springs to transfer the land to be used for the cemetery. The estimated cost for the construction of the cemetery has not yet been solidified, according to Saratoga Springs spokeswoman AnnElise Harrison.

Saratoga Springs has been working on obtaining land for a cemetery for over three years, but Miller said they did not want to use a bond or put the city in debt, so when this opportunity came up they immediately started working on it. Saratoga Springs City Council member Chris Porter has been the liaison between the city and Camp Williams and has headed this project.

Miller said, in a perfect world, his hope would be to begin construction by the end of next year, although there are obstacles they must overcome first — one major obstacle being road access to the property. The land is currently difficult to get to, so Harrison explained access to the piece of land will come as development continues in the area and infrastructure is created to provide easy access for residents.

Through surveys and personal emails and conversations, Miller said residents of Saratoga Springs have expressed their desire for a cemetery repeatedly over the years. Some of those who have talked to him have lost loved ones and wanted to lay them to rest near their home, and others want to ensure they can lay to rest in Saratoga Springs when their time comes to pass on.