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Capital Panel Gives Final Approval To Eisenhower Memorial

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A long-delayed effort to build a memorial honoring President Dwight D. Eisenhower is gaining design approvals to potentially move forward.

The project won approval Thursday in a 9-1 vote on final site and building plans at the National Capital Planning Commission. This was the second federal approval after the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the design in June.

Architect Frank Gehry's design includes a memorial park with statues of Eisenhower and a large metal tapestry depicting the Kansas landscape of Ike's boyhood home.

Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts, the chairman of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, says the 15-year project can now move toward completion.

Building the $140 million memorial still requires funding. So far, $63 million has been appropriated by Congress. But some lawmakers want to block any further funding.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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