The deadline has been set for Southwest Montana communities to put in their bids for a new state veterans home.

The February 5^th cutoff date was set on Monday by the site selection committee as it met in Butte.

Public notice for the bidding goes out immediately, and the committee will take questions about the site proposals until January 5^th.

A meeting will then be held with local officials, and tour sites for each proposal will run from the February 5^th until February 28^th.

The committee plans to have a list of finalists in March and will make a recommendation for a site by April 1^st. Butte committee member Bob Pavlovich says everyone on the panel faces a balancing act.

"Oh yeah, I mean we're all looking for our own county. There's no two ways about that. Everybody wants it in their own county, but first and foremost, it's got to be for the veterans. We want to make sure whatever we do that the veterans are going to be happy. So, that's why we want, when we have these meetings, is input from the veterans."

The committee will meet again Thursday to tour the veterans home in Billings.