Aurora, CO – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today issued the following statement on the temporary agreement between the VA and Kiewit Turner to resume construction of the VA medical center in Aurora. The VA and KT announced today that workers would return to the jobsite to resume construction while negotiations continue.
This project has been terribly mismanaged by the VA from the start. To make problems worse, the VA insisted on dragging out wasteful litigation when mediation could have moved the project along. Today we’ve seen some progress, but there is a long way to go. We’re glad this interim agreement will put workers back on the job as early as Monday. And the Army Corps of Engineers involvement is encouraging. Now it’s imperative that KT and the Army Corps work quickly and urgently to determine the construction timeline and the final costs to complete the project.
It’s still not clear how the VA plans to identify the additional funding to complete a permanent deal and it does not appear to be easy. Our congressional delegation is ready to provide whatever assistance possible to support the completion of this project and ensure that our veterans finally have the top-notch facility they deserve. We’ll continue to explore all options including reprogramming funds within the VA, providing the VA the authority it needs to make additional transfers, or any other means possible.
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