The rejection by the federal Government Accountability Office of the challenge to the awarding of the construction contract for a new VA health care facility in Center Township appears to clear the way for the project to move forward. But as has been the case with the controversial plan to build a new VA outpatient complex, the decision leaves many questions unanswered.

From the beginning, the building project for the VA in Butler has been marred by controversy and lack of transparency by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The latest action, which happened last week, saw the GAO reject a protest filed by Oxford Development, the Pittsburgh-based development company that lost out on the second round of the VA awarding the construction contract. In late December, the VA awarded a contract for the new 168,000-square-foot VA facility to Cambridge Healthcare Solutions PA. Oxford, said it would build on the partially prepared site along Route 68, next to the current VA health care campus, if it won the contract.

The Route 68 site, known as Deshon Woods, has been the focus of much of the controversy surrounding the VA project. The land was bought by Westar Development of Akron, Ohio, which had won the original contract for the VA facility.

The land was stripped of trees and bulldozed, but then allegations that Westar had misrepresented itself in the VA proposal led to the contract being canceled. There were also allegations Westar was tied to an Ohio businessman who had been convicted on federal charges of racketeering, bribery and fraud.

None of those issues remained when the VA considered bids in a second attempt to get the project moving. But the Deshon Woods property remains an issue and is seen as an eyesore by many driving by the abandoned construction site. Despite preferring that site initially, the VA has never explained why it shifted its preference to farmland on Duffy Road in Center Township, about 1.5 miles away from the current VA campus.

There might be a reasonable explanation for the new location preference, but the VA has not explained why it did not take the opportunity to work with Oxford Development — and build on the Deshon Woods property, right next to the current VA facility.

In rejecting the protest filed by Oxford, the VA said it had taken some “corrective action” to address issues raised by Oxford. But VA officials refused to say what action was taken.

Starting with an apparent failure of the VA to do proper due diligence on Westar and the secrecy surrounding its shifting its location preference and rejecting the protest from a well-respected Pittsburgh developer, with no explanation, the VA has not impressed in terms of transparency or accountability when spending taxpayer dollars.

By just about any measure, the GAO is a highly respected government agency. It’s involvement should reassure taxpayers the that the VA project is finally on solid footing. But the lack of responsiveness, lack of explanation for the Duffy Road site selection and rejection of Oxford’s protest does little to ease concerns here over mismanagement.

If the Duffy Road site is somehow better, the VA should explain why. If the terms of the Cambridge lease deal were better than Oxford’s deal, then the VA should say so.

The lack of explanation is troubling and suggests a federal agency with little sense of accountability or addressing local concerns.