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Veterans urge separate burial ground; speakers say federal funding and approvals exist but site remains stalled
Summary
Public commenters urged Columbia Falls officials to press ahead on a proposed veterans cemetery, saying federal funding has been secured but site transfer and state approvals remain unresolved.
Several residents spoke during public comment urging the city to support development of a separate veterans cemetery, saying federal funding has been secured but local approvals and staffing remain unresolved.
A commenter who identified involvement with veterans’ groups said land west of the Garden of the Peninsula has been given to the veterans board and that the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs have provided federal funding to develop a cemetery. The speaker said the governor’s review and a transfer approval are pending and that the cemetery would require three full-time employees to operate.
The commenter said local veterans have been pursuing the project for about six years, described frustration with the pace of state and administrative approvals and noted that some veterans cannot be buried in the existing county cemetery unless they are residents. The speaker said the city has been advocating in Helena and that recent meetings produced some progress but not final action.
The council did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; the statements appeared during the public-comment portion of the agenda.
