Congressman Doug Lamborn has worked closely with veterans groups in the district and with lawmakers in Washington to make this cemetery a priority for the VA.

“I am pleased the VA has further narrowed down their preferences for a new Veterans Cemetery site in El Paso County. Both of these finalists are much more accessible to Southern Colorado’s veterans and their families than Fort Logan near Denver. Veteran’s advocates have worked with dogged determination for more than a decade to bring a cemetery to our part of the state, and it appears their work will soon bear fruit.”– Doug Lamborn (CO-05)

The VA is scheduled to make a final decision on where to locate the cemetery by the end of this year.  At that point, the VA will enter a 12-15 month master design and plan phase for the cemetery. Groundbreaking and construction would begin after that.

The VA has already set aside $35 million for design and construction of the cemetery.

To read the VA’s most recent Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI) statement, click here:

Background:

June 2012, the VA narrowed the possible sites to:

• Kane Ranch: located east of Fountain, Colorado on Squirrel Creek Road
• 4-Way Ranch: located northeast of Falcon, Colorado on State Highway 24
• Rolling Hills Ranch: located east of Colorado Springs, Colorado near the intersection of Bradley and South Meridian Roads
• Bradley Heights: located east of Colorado Springs, Colorado near the intersection of Bradley and South Marksheffel Roads

Timeline of Lamborn action on VA Cemetery

• Jan. 2007– Lamborn introduced H.R. 295, a bill directing the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs to establish a national veterans’ cemetery in the Pike’s Peak region.
• March 2007– Lamborn co-sponsors H.R. 1660, a similar bill, with Rep. John Salazar
• May 2007 –Lamborn amends H.R. 1660 to ensure that any veterans’ cemetery created in Southern Colorado be located in El Paso County
• May 24, 2007– House passes H.R. 1660 and sends to the Senate
• May 5, 2008 -Lamborn hosts Congressional Field Hearing on the National Cemetery
• July 15, 2009– Lamborn co-sponsors H.R. 3219, Veterans’ Benefits Act of 2010, which authorizes a national veterans’ cemetery in southern Colorado.
• October 13, 2010– H.R. 3219 becomes law (P.L. 111-275), authorizing a national veterans’ cemetery in southern Colorado. (Passed the House July 27, 2009; Passed the Senate September 28, 2010) *
• February 2010– The Veterans Administration requests funding for a Southern Colorado VA National Cemetery
• September 2011– Congressman Lamborn hosts Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Memorial Affairs Steve Muro in Colorado Springs to personally discuss the progress on the southern Colorado veterans cemetery.

* Included funding for cemetery

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