Officials get update on Veterans Home project in Bristol

GOV. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, along with other officials, were updated Monday about the new Veterans Home project in Bristol. / PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS
GOV. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, along with other officials, were updated Monday about the new Veterans Home project in Bristol. / PBN FILE PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

BRISTOL – Officials were updated on Monday about the progress of the new 208-bed Veterans Home project, approved by voters two years ago through a $94 million bond referendum.
Construction on the facility is tentatively slated to begin next year and is expected to be completed in 2018. It will be built to new federal Community Living Center design guidelines intended to maximize independent living while providing opportunities for socialization for residents.
By following those guidelines, the project will be eligible for up to 65 percent for federal reimbursement, reducing the borrowing cost to the state, according to a press release from Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee’s office.
The state has sought pre-qualified construction management-at risk firms with the experience so that the project can be completed in a timely, efficient manner. It is expected that this contract will be awarded by the end of this year and the construction contract will be awarded in 2015.
Chafee, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline and members of the governor’s administration were told what the state Department of Administration’s Divisions of Purchases and Capital Projects and the Department of Human Services’ Division of Veterans Affairs has completed in regard to the project, including:

  • Approval of a waiver to increase the number of nursing beds from 157 to 192
  • Approval for federal reimbursement of construction costs
  • Approval of an owner’s program manager to oversee the project
  • Selection of an architectural design and engineering firm
  • Contracted for a feasibility study and demand analysis to understand veterans’ needs
  • Solicited pre-qualified firms for construction manager-at risk services

“I am pleased with the state’s effort on this project, which will serve our veterans with a new residential facility and upgrades to the existing building,” Chafee said in a statement. “I commend the several state agencies that are coordinating to make this venture a reality. I thank the voters and those who advocated on behalf of our veterans for their support of this important project.”
Director of Administration Steven Hartford said, “I am impressed with the hard work of our state agencies to complete this project. We have reached many important project milestones that have laid the ground work to get shovels in the ground in 2015.”
Department of Human Services Director Sandra Powell echoed the statements.
“Throughout this planning and design phase, we have made it a priority to build a veterans home to the federal Community Living Center design standards. In doing so, we are not only ensuring a state-of-the-art, skilled nursing facility for our honored veterans, we are qualifying for up to $55 million in reimbursed construction costs from the federal government on behalf of Rhode Island’s taxpayers,” Powell stated.

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