U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall and Congressman Ed Perlmutter pressed the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today to swiftly partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify potential ways to get the construction of the new Aurora VA medical center back on track. The lawmakers urged the VA to enter into an “interagency agreement” to bring in a team of experts from the Army Corps for a “Design-Construction Evaluation” that would identify potential cost savings and performance enhancements.
“Our veterans deserve the best hospital possible built at the best price as quickly as possible,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “They should not be forced to wait even a day longer than necessary for the timely, world-class care this hospital will provide. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the expertise to assist the VA in fulfilling this promise to Rocky Mountain veterans, and we urge you in the strongest terms possible to take immediate advantage of that expertise.”
The Army Corps has performed similar reviews for other government agencies and construction projects under interagency agreements.
Bennet, Udall, and Perlmutter have consistently urged the VA and the contractors involved in the facility to get the project back on track. They have regularly met with officials from the VA, contractors and Colorado veterans to find a way forward for the medical facility.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans from across the Rocky Mountain West will rely on the facility for health care and medical procedures.
To read the letter, click HERE.