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 alternate three-sided site off the East Wing would add about $40,000–$50,000.

Committee members pointed out that the House had reduced the home's request to $340,000; Jackson said she had not expected that change but would follow up with written estimates and project descriptions. "We will make sure we get you guys something in writing," Jackson told the committee.

The second request covers replacement of failing heat-pump units across the campus. Jackson said roughly 55 units are at or near the end of their useful life and several use R-22 refrigerant, which is no longer available for servicing. Cruzan described the units as a mix of ceiling and wall-mounted self-contained heat pumps and said work would largely be replacement in kind, with some carpentry to retrofit openings.

Jackson said the original governor's request for that work was about $730,000; the House appropriations recommendation reduced that figure to $710,000. Cruzan also reported a separate, newly identified need to replace sprinkler heads in B and C wings because those heads are approaching the 50-year service life; Cruzan said a preliminary estimate for the sprinkler-head work was about $210,000 and that the sprinkler project is distinct from the heat-pump replacement.

Jackson also described a small but firm estimate of about $9,800 to pump and replace aged glycol in lines on two wings to meet updated EPA standards and to remove weatherization-type fluid in favor of a nontoxic glycol mix.

The third request is for $1.5 million in design funds for the American Wing, a 30-bed slab-on-grade unit that is currently offline because cast-iron plumbing embedded in concrete is failing. Jackson said engineers have concluded that a full teardown and rebuild would be the appropriate remedy; the $1.5 million request is for design work to produce bid-ready plans. "We would definitely be going to the VA and asking for the 65–35 match, and that project wouldn't start till we knew that we had the 65% match from the VA," Jackson said, referring to the VA State Home Construction Grant program.

Jackson said the home will apply for the VA matching grant for eligible projects over $400,000; under the program the VA may reimburse 65% of an approved capital project and the state would provide 35%. She cautioned that the backlog for VA funding is large: she said about $1.6 billion in projects are on the VA list while the VA has recently provided about $185 million in awards, so any federal reimbursement timing is uncertain.

Committee members asked for written project descriptions and estimates so the committee can confirm that bill language will allow flexibility to move funds between projects if appropriate. Jackson agreed to provide the requested documentation by early next week.

Jackson closed with operational context: the home holds an 84-acre campus with about 140,000 square feet of facilities, she said; the nursing-home capacity with the American Wing offline is 100 beds, with a census of 88 at the time of the meeting. The home also operates an eight-unit assisted-living program with seven residents and maintains a waiting list of about 45. Jackson said eligibility for the nursing-home beds requires assistance with three activities of daily living and that the nursing home serves veterans, their spouses and Gold Star parents.

No formal votes were taken during the presentation. The committee adjourned discussion of the Veterans Home requests pending receipt of written project descriptions, cost estimates and clarification of language in the capital bill regarding interproject flexibility and reimbursement.