Residents urge Marion County to press VA on proposed 307‑acre national cemetery near McLeay over water, traffic and farmland impacts

Dozens of residents from the McLeay area told the Marion County Board of Commissioners on Oct. 29 that a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs proposal to buy 307 acres on Howell Prairie Road for a national cemetery would harm local wells, rural roads, agricultural land and wildlife.

The meeting’s public-comment period opened with Denise Giesemann, who said she learned of the VA’s scoping notice on Oct. 16 and reviewed the federal National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. “The VA is preparing an environmental assessment to assess the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action,” she said, and urged neighbors to submit comments during the EA’s public-scoping and the draft‑EA comment windows so the agency can revise a draft if new information arises.

Residents who followed Giesemann described similar concerns. Mark Krautman and Dan Herman said groundwater is already limited in the proposed site area and nearby wells have been deepened or supplemented with cisterns; retired Oregon Water Resources Department staffer Dave Nelson told the board the property’s 2007 limited groundwater permit allows only about “1 cubic foot per acre per water year” and warned full irrigation of extensive turf could draw billions of gallons annually. “If they start pumping 2,000,000,000 gallons of water a year … they’re probably going to deplete that,” Nelson said.

Other speakers raised transportation and safety problems on McLeay Road and nearby routes. Jim Stinson and Greg Anderson said the access routes include multiple curves, limited shoulders and school bus stops; Stinson asked how funeral processions and thousands of annual visitors would be handled. “It’s going to turn it into a thoroughfare,” he said.

Several neighbors also objected to placing a large, 300‑acre cemetery on prime Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) farmland and in a sensitive groundwater overlay. Mary Bachvarova said the site includes riparian headwaters and was the recipient of a conservation grant to restore habitat; she warned of possible impacts from increased irrigation, chemicals and the loss of mature white oaks lining Jordan Street. “Why 1 so large?” she asked, noting Willamette National Cemetery is roughly 200 acres and suggesting smaller, more distributed cemeteries might better serve the state.

Speakers requested that Marion County continue to press the VA for alternatives. County officials told commenters the board already submitted a letter to the VA, participated in a community meeting and will continue to engage state and federal partners. “We will be diligent to engage,” the board said, and staff said the county will create an email listserv to keep residents informed and gather contact information for follow‑up.

The VA’s process: Giesemann summarized NEPA phases and flags that can trigger a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), noting that public controversy at the EA stage can prompt an EIS under VA guidance. She advised residents to file comments during the EA scoping and to review any draft EA when released; several speakers said they had not received direct outreach from the VA and urged neighbors to participate in the federal comment process.

What the county said: Commissioners said they had sent a letter to the VA, were working with state and federal partners and had staff at a recent community meeting. The board encouraged residents to submit written comments to the VA and promised county follow‑up. No county policy action was taken at the meeting; the VA retains the federal land‑use decision authority and will complete its NEPA process before any purchase or construction action.

The county’s role is primarily coordination and advocacy with the VA and other agencies; residents who want to be notified of county steps were advised to provide contact information to county staff for inclusion on the county’s outreach list.