Residents near Fort Logan Cemetery in Colorado raise concerns amidst expansion project
Fort Logan National Cemetary is looking to expand. The cemetery wants to be able to honor veterans and their families for years to come.
However, some residents with homes bordering the cemetery are not fully content with their plans. During a town hall meeting on Tuesday, they expressed several concerns.
Fort Logan is looking to add a columbarium, a wall used to hold urns -- on the south end of the cemetery, near Oxford Avenue.
The cemetery currently more than 20,000 columbarium compartments. But cemetery officials tell me they're in need of thousands more in the next few years to be able to continue to honor those who served.
However, the project, if finished, will affect at least 18 homes nearby.
"The cemetery has been around since 1889, and we provide veteran and their families with options for 100 years," said Tony Thomas, the director of Fort Logan National Cemetery.
The cemetery's goal is to continue to do that for years to come, and the construction of 10,000 more columbarium compartments would help.
According to Thomas, the actual columbarium wall is going to be 30 feet from some back yards, and right now it is necessary.
"Over the last few years we've seen a sharp increase in the number of cremated burials we do and with that being said , columbarium has been a high demand item and for the next 15 years we want to provide that to our veteran community," said Thomas.
At the town hall meeting, several residents expressed frustration and concerns regarding the columbarium project.
"They could have said something earlier, not now when they already started digging behind the homes. The homes had no notice but from two weeks ago when they stuck a flyer from beneath their door," said a concerned resident.
Concerns range from a lack of communication from officials, to property depreciation over time, and crime.
"Behind that wall, anything can happen and anybody can go in there and rob someone's home. The property value is going to go down. Who is going to buy a house with this wall right behind them?"
According to realtor.com, the median home price in neighborhoods with a cemetery is about 12% lower than similar properties in other areas.
