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State seeks $29.34 million for veterans homes upkeep, Minneapolis Building 16 remodel
Summary
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs asked the Capital Investment Committee for $11.94 million in asset preservation and $17.404 million to remodel Building 16 at the Minneapolis Veterans Home, citing life‑safety systems past useful life and resident needs.
John Kelly, director of government affairs for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, told the Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 18 that the department is seeking $11,940,000 in asset preservation funds and $17,404,000 for a remodel of Building 16 at the Minneapolis Veterans Home.
Kelly said the department manages 71 buildings with a replacement value of roughly a half‑billion dollars and that 12 of those buildings are part of state veterans homes with 24/7 occupancy for more than 900 residents statewide. “Some of these buildings are more than a 100 years old,” he said, noting asset preservation requests include roofs, boilers and mechanical and electrical replacements.
The $11.94 million asset preservation request, Kelly said, would address deferred maintenance across homes and state veterans cemeteries. He cited individual examples from the department’s list, from a $158,000 plaster job at the Minneapolis home to a $1,500,000 plumbing project at the Silver Bay home to convert shared facilities to single‑use bathrooms.
The $17.404 million request is targeted to complete a remodel and design work on Building 16, which Kelly said was built in 1973 and houses about 50 occupants. Kelly told the committee the building’s original HVAC system has passed its useful life and other building systems need replacement; he said the remodel will bring the facility into compliance with state and federal building and life‑safety codes and Department of Health survey requirements.
Asked whether federal funds are available to match the remodel, Kelly said this project is a straight state bonding request and “we're not seeking matching funds from the Federal Government.” He also said federal per‑diem reimbursements that support resident care continue to flow and the department is awaiting reimbursement for prior new‑home costs but has not been told those federal reimbursements are paused.
Why it matters: Kelly framed the requests as necessary to preserve quality of care and safety for veterans in state homes, and to complete a sequence of investments that have included three new veterans homes and a state veterans cemetery funded in prior bonding bills.
Next steps: The committee heard the presentation and asked questions; no vote on MDVA requests occurred at the Feb. 18 meeting.
