In May, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs released a draft of its Programmatic Environmental Assessment, which analyzes the impact of a new national cemetery on four possible properties in El Paso County.As reported in the PEA, a site selection board chose four properties from a list of potential sites submitted by the public.
- 4-Way Ranch, northeast of Falcon (200 acres)
- Rolling Hills Ranch, east of Colorado Springs, and east of Marksheffel Road between Bradley Road and Drennan Road (326 acres)
- Bradley Heights, southwest of the intersection of Bradley Road and Marksheffel Road (490 acres)
- Kane Ranch, east of Fountain, Colo., south of Squirrel Creek Road and accessed by Andy Kane Road (493.6 acres)
The properties meet the VA’s requirements of 200 contiguous acres, with conveyable water rights, that can be developed and are easily accessible from existing major roadways.The study found no significant adverse impact to the local environment or quality of life at any of the four sites. According to the PEA, the new cemetery will provide internment facilities for 4,000 grave sites for casket internments, 3,500 columbarium niches and 1,500 in-ground sites for cremated remains, as well as a memorial wall to commemorate those whose remains are not available for internment.El Paso County became eligible for a national cemetery when the Obama administration lowered the requirement from 170,000 veterans within a 75-mile radius to 80,000 veterans in the same area, as reported by the Gazette on Feb. 1, 2010.About 100,000 veterans live in the area. The nearest national cemetery is Fort Logan National Cemetery southwest of Denver. That cemetery is expected to reach full capacity by 2019, leaving 200,000 Denver-area veterans without a burial ground, according to the Gazette.The VA is expected to select the final site before Sept. 30.Construction of a temporary burial area is expected to be completed in late 2015, with Phase 1 of a permanent burial area to be completed in early 2017, according to the PEA.The PEA notes it is possible that no decision will be made, which is unlikely because Congress has mandated the provision of appropriate burial options to the nation’s veterans and because such a decision would leave the area’s veterans underserved.
