More than 1,000 new cemetery plots at the U.S. Air Force Academy, roundabouts near Peterson Space Force Base, energy-efficiency improvements at El Paso County buildings and full completion of a new Children’s Advocacy Center in Colorado Springs are among 94 projects in Colorado that are receiving funding from congressionally directed spending requests for 2023.

Colorado’s U.S. senators, Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both Democrats, identified the projects to be included in the $1.7 trillion fiscal year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee accepted the requests in December.

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“Each of these projects is an example of the progress we can make when the federal government invests directly in local communities,” Bennet said in an email.

The practice of including local spending requests in the bill on a bipartisan basis was revived two years ago.

“This process has been an opportunity for Coloradans to tell Congress about the challenges they face and resources they need,” Bennet said.

Coloradans know best what their communities need, Hickenlooper said in a statement.

“These projects are examples of how everyone wins when Washington listens to the needs of the people we serve,” he said.

In this go-round, Colorado is receiving $178.3 million in funding for projects statewide.

Recipients go through an extensive application process to be awarded the federal funds.

The U.S. Air Force Academy is receiving $3.4 million, the largest local allotment, which will help add 1,200 plots at the cemetery on the federal military installation located between Colorado Springs and Monument.

As of Thursday, 499 burial spots remain open, along with 475 niche spots in the columbarium, said spokesman Dean Miller.

The cemetery is the final resting place for departed academy cadets, graduates and dependents.

The first burial took place on Sept. 28, 1958, and there now are 2,327 people buried, memorialized with a marker or placed in the columbarium, Miller said.

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“In the last decade, internments more than doubled, and we expect that number to steadily increase, as the initial cadre of graduates are now in their 80s,” he said.

Existing forested land will be cleared and the land transformed into new burial sites, according to a solicitation for contractors.

A total of $4.4 million in funding has been approved for the expansion, officials announced at the Dec. 6 meeting of the Board of Visitors in Washington.

The $500,000 awarded to the Colorado Department of Transportation will pay for the city of Colorado Springs to finish the design of two new roundabouts at Peterson Road and U.S. 24, said Todd Frisbie, city traffic engineer.

The city had received an initial $500,000 grant from the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments to do preliminary design work and obtain environmental clearances, he said.

Standard roundabouts will replace two stoplights on Peterson Road near Peterson Space Force Base, located at the ramp intersections to the north and south of U.S. 24.

“Roundabouts improve access, traffic flow and safety,” Frisbie said.

The total project cost and timeline are yet to be determined, he said.

The new Children’s Advocacy Center received the smallest amount, $360,000, but the money is of great significance, said Mo Basenberg, executive director of Safe Passage.

The organization helps children who have been sexually abused or witnessed a crime. It created the center in a renovated building at 2335 Robinson St. The center opened in November 2021 as a one-stop site where hurt children and families can receive physical, mental, legal and other child-safety assistance.

The money enables the nonprofit to sunset its two-year capital campaign and complete its goal of raising $2.7 million, Basenberg said.

Most recipients of the congressionally directed spending funds across the state are government agencies, although nonprofits also can apply. Basenberg said it’s meaningful that Bennet and Hickenlooper championed the Children’s Advocacy Center, which she said they have toured.

“We have huge gratitude and appreciation for both senators’ offices recognizing that we’ve added a best-practice model in our community and the good that we’ve achieved,” she said.

The organization is applying $260,000 to paying off the loan for the building renovations; the remainder will be spent on additional landscaping and interior finishes, Basenberg said.

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Basenberg attributes the increase in clients – 143 more children were served in 2022 than 2021, for a total of 776 – to the new center, which is larger than the organization’s previous location and has room for Colorado Springs police to be on-site as well as a forensic nursing team from UCHealth and other groups.

“CSPD can bring all the cases to us, whereas before we didn’t have the space,” she said. “For better or worse, our numbers are pretty strong.”

El Paso County will use its share of $445,000 to improve energy efficiency at all major county facilities, a spokesperson said, including the jail, courthouse, main county services building, public works, the Sheriff’s Office and Centennial Hall.

“LED upgrades will reduce county utility usage by an estimated 30% and enhance energy efficiency,” the spokesperson said in an email.