WASHINGTON- Congressman Spencer Bachus announced today that steady progress has been made on the required environmental assessment for the proposed National Veteran's Cemetery in Montevallo. The Department of Veterans Affairs has notified Congressman Bachus that the local property owners surrounding the American Village are cooperating to facilitate access to the property by an environmental assessment team. The first extensive site visit has been scheduled for late May of this year.
An environmental assessment of the proposed site is required to ensure that the land meets the soil type and topographical criteria necessary to support a large scale National Cemetery such as the one proposed at the American Village. The engineering firm of MACTEC, an Atlanta based company already under contract with the VA, is overseeing the assessment. The Department of Veterans Affairs expects the environmental assessment to be completed by the end of this fiscal year.
"The construction of this cemetery is significant for Alabama's aging veteran population. I am pleased to see the Department of Veterans Affairs steadily moving forward on this project. It is only fitting those in Alabama who have served our country with honor are afforded a final resting place near their loved ones," said Congressman Bachus.
In 2003 the Department of Veteran's Affairs was directed by Congress to establish a new cemetery in the Birmingham area, which currently has a population of over 212,000 veterans who do not have practical access to a burial option in a National Cemetery.
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