Coffman Steps In As VA Hospital Builder Balks
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - An Aurora hospital that is currently being built for veterans is now under investigation.
The new Veteran's Administration hospital is causing controversy due to excessive spending on designs that critics say are too complex and expensive.
Subcontractors of Kiewit Turner say they want out. One of the main contractors filed a 63 page complaint against the VA asking to be relieved of their duties since the project is now $400 million over budget.
House Committee on Veterans Affairs member Congressman Rep. Mike Coffman says that after continuous spending warnings ignored by the federal board he has no choice but to step in.
"My goal as a veteran is to make sure that this project gets done, but that it gets done close to budget, and certainly I'm going to working with the VA and with the contractor to figure out how to get this amount down," Coffman said.
After years of planning and overspending an official investigation has finally been launched on the billion dollar project.
For now subcontractors will continue to work on the hospital but threaten to stop working immediately if spending isn't decreased.
- Written by Melanie Johnson for CBSDenver.com
