Vermont Veterans Home projects hit by equipment problems and shifting capital priorities

The House Corrections & Institutions Committee on March 19 pressed the Vermont Veterans Home for updates on a string of repair and renovation projects and discussed moving money between accounts to cover urgent safety work.

The committee heard from Steve McClafferty, finance director at the Vermont Veterans Home, and Greg Crozier, environmental services director, who outlined the status of furnishings, heat pumps, boilers and a proposed memory-care A wing. McClafferty said resident furnishings ordered under a $230,000 appropriation are on track, with delivery expected mid to late May. "We've ordered; I believe their furniture is coming in mid to late May," McClafferty said.

A central concern was a roughly $710,000 appropriation for new heat-pump air-handlers. Crozier told the committee crews have discovered persistent quality-control issues on modular units already installed and on packaged units still boxed. "We found multiple units that weren't charged, had leaks, controller issues," Crozier said, adding that about 20 of roughly 50–56 purchased units had been installed before the problems emerged and about $446,000 of the $710,000 had been spent. The vendor has been asked to calculate lost installation time and parts for potential reimbursement, Crozier said.

Committee members also reviewed a combined FY24 proposal of roughly $4.4–4.5 million for boiler and generator replacement, which is in design. Crozier described options under consideration, including consolidating several older units into a larger generator capable of powering multiple wings. The committee accepted staff assurances that the FY24 ask should be sufficient for design and installation, while noting final costs will depend on completed designs.

On elevators and sewer lines, members discussed shifting funds within the bill to prioritize the most at-risk systems. The committee considered moving $500,000 in cash that had been set aside for elevator work and adding $250,000 in bonded dollars to bring a sewer project to an estimated $750,000. The chair framed the proposal as: preserve sufficient bonded dollars for the elevator while freeing cash to address urgent sewer and sprinkler work.

The A wing memory-care expansion remains in design. McClafferty said $1.5 million was appropriated for A wing design and that about $769,000 of that has been expended. The project remains dependent on further federal approval and possible VA capital funding, which the committee was told is not yet guaranteed or on a firm federal list.

Committee members pressed the Veterans Home on life-safety items. Crozier warned that many sprinkler heads in several wings are near the end of a 50-year useful life and that replacement and replacement of the system glycol could cost an estimated $150,000 to $250,000. Members flagged the regulator's next survey window (after Jan. 1) and urged prioritization of sprinkler and sewer repairs.

What happens next: the committee asked staff to draft language permitting internal transfers between eligible projects (moving cash and adding bonded authority where necessary) and to update the working spreadsheet. The committee recessed briefly to allow floor business and planned to reconvene after H.294 to finish markup with updated bill language.

Sources: testimony and budget updates provided to the House Corrections & Institutions Committee by Steve McClafferty and Greg Crozier during the March 19 markup session.