U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

November 15, 2006

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Comm. Director

                        303-455-7600

Andrew Nannis  – Press Secretary

                        202-224-5852


  Sen. Salazar Integral in Senate Passage of Millions for Fitzsimons, Other Military Construction

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar’s efforts in the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and with his colleagues on the floor of the Senate have resulted in a $52 million appropriation for construction and planning for the Fitzsimons project in 2007. Last night, the Senate passed the VA/Military Construction Appropriations Bill which included the money for Fitzsimons.

“I cannot overstate how important this project is to the veterans of Colorado and the surrounding region,” said Senator Salazar. “For many of the half-million veterans in my state, the Denver veterans’ facility is the closest VA hospital. Veterans residing in Colorado and the surrounding states deserve a state-of-the-art facility within a reasonable distance of their homes, and they deserve to know that the VA hospital in the closest major city is equipped to provide the highest-quality care available.”

The $52 million included in VA/Military Construction Appropriations Bill is an important step toward making the Fitzsimons hospital a reality. It will allow for the VA to move forward with the preliminary stages of hospital construction: land purchase at the site (agreed to earlier this year), as well as the preliminary design of the new, state-of-the-art facility, including construction drawings.

Since coming to Washington, Senator Salazar has been playing a key role in moving the Fitzsimons project forward. In early 2005, just months after coming to Washington, Senator Salazar helped organize a joint briefing for the Colorado congressional delegation to ensure the delegation could speak with one, clear voice on Fitzsimons. Earlier this year, Senator Salazar helped maintain positive momentum on the project by reminding Congress of the importance of providing the VA with resources for capital improvements.

Earlier this year, Salazar worked with Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the VA to increase the Senate authorization level from $52 million to $98 million, matching the authorization contained in major VA construction projects legislation currently before the House. Members of the House and Senate are currently working to reconcile differences between the two bills with the hope of passing VA construction legislation before Congress adjourns for the year.

Finally, Senator Salazar has helped ensure the project grows smartly by securing nearly $3 million in the FY07 transportation appropriations bill for improvements for I-225 at Colfax and 17th, the keystone of the Fitzsimons redevelopment and the number one regional transportation priority for DRCOG.

Also included in the Appropriations bill passed last night were:

Military Construction in Colorado:

  • Fort Carson: $50 million – Authorizes $26 million for a Combat Services Support Complex for Special Operating Forces. Another $24 million is authorized for military construction for the next phase of construction of the Airfield Arrival/Depart Complex.
  • Buckley Air Force Base: $17.7 million –$10.7 million authorized for construction of the Consolidated Fuels Facility. Another $7 million is authorized for a new Air National Guard Squadron Operations Facility.
  • Schriever Air Force Base: $21 million - $21 million for construction of the Space Test & Evaluation Facility.
  • Pueblo Chemical Depot: $42 million –Authorizes $42 million for Pueblo Chemical Depot construction.

VA Provisions Specific to Colorado:

  • Replacement VA facility at Fitzsimons: $52 million – This funding matches the amount authorized for this year, and will be used for the land acquisition portion of the project.
  • Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in rural Colorado: The bill contains language recommending “VA to place an emphasis on opening new CBOCs especially in areas that lack VA primary care,” and to “move forward establishing clinics in Bellingman and Centralia, Washington; Alpena, Michigan; and in rural Colorado.”
  • Pikes Peak Cemetery: The bill contains the following language with respect to a national veterans’ cemetery in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado: “The Pikes Peak region and El Paso, Colorado, have 125,000 veterans. There is no national veterans’ cemetery in this region of the State. The Committee encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs to consider establishing a veterans’ cemetery in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado.”

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