Vermont Veterans Home asks Legislature for laundry, HVAC and design funding; seeks VA grant match

Senate Vice Chair Rob Flunkett and members of the Senate Committee on Institutions heard a presentation April 11 from Vermont Veterans Home leadership asking for capital funding to relocate a laundry facility, replace aging heating and cooling equipment, and pay for design work on an offline 30-bed unit.

"For this coming fiscal year, we have two requests in the capital budget," said Melissa Jackson, chief executive officer of the Vermont Veterans Home, as she summarized the home's capital priorities for the committee.

The first request is for $420,000 to relocate the facility's laundry, move it from an upper-level, aging section of the building to a new slab-on-grade structure, and replace washers and dryers. Director of Facilities Greg Cruzan said the preferred site would be adjacent to the B Wing courtyard in a roughly 2,500-square-foot single-story structure with sprinklers, ventilation and a separate folding area. Cruzan said the plan calls for three washers and three dryers — a reduction from four oversized units now in use — and noted an equipment quote of about $68,000; he estimated that relocating the room to the preferred site would fit within the $420,000 figure, while an…