Schumer: Canandaigua VA Medical Center Upgrade Has Been Delayed By Bureaucratic Hold-Ups; Now Project Responsibility Is Being Transferred From VA To Army Corps

Press Release

Standing at the Cadence Square Building on the Canandaigua VA Medical Center campus, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get construction of the $122.4 million Canandaigua Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center upgrade project underway as soon as possible, in order to get this important project back on track for the thousands of area veterans who depend upon its services. Schumer explained that, under a new federal policy passed last September, the VA must turn over larger construction projects of over $100 million in scope to the Army Corps of Engineers to manage. However, Schumer said this process should not further hold up this already long-delayed and desperately needed $122.4 million campus upgrade. Therefore, Schumer is pushing the Army Corps to expeditiously approve the project transfer from the VA and break ground on this project. Schumer said that doing so will finally allow thousands of Rochester-Finger Lakes area veterans to access the modern and more efficient world-class medical treatment they deserve as well as create hundreds of good-paying local construction jobs during construction.

"Our veterans have protected and defended us, and it is our job to care for them when they come home. I was proud to fight to secure the $122 million in federal funds needed to bring this long-awaited facility upgrade to the Canandaigua VA campus. That is why I am urging the Army Corps, as it prepares to take over this critical project from the VA, to move full-steam ahead on this project so we can get the necessary approvals out the door and shovels in the ground," said Schumer. "This investment is long overdue and will not only create hundreds of good-paying construction jobs as we build these cutting-edge facilities, but also finally give Rochester and Finger Lakes area veterans the care and services they deserve after serving our country bravely."

The VA originally announced in 2007 that it would initiate a major reconstruction project to modernize the Canandaigua VA Medical Center with new construction and renovation to provide state-of-the-art care and meet the needs of current and projected future veterans. This announcement came after Schumer, local veterans, and the community in 2003-2004 convinced the VA's Capital Asset Realignment for Enhancement Services (CARES) Commission to reverse the CARES' Commissions then-recommendation that the VA close the Canandaigua Medical Center. Instead, after Schumer's urging, the VA agreed in 2004 to not only keep the VA Campus open, but to modernize it for future veterans to use and safeguard it from any future efforts to close the facility. Through Schumer's efforts, the Canandaigua VA became one of only four VA major construction projects across the country that Senate appropriators recommended to receive construction funds in 2014.‎

To begin the redevelopment project, Schumer secured $36.58 million in FY 2010 to complete a new campus master plan, begin the project's preliminary design work and complete environmental assessments. In 2013, Schumer wrote to VA Secretary Shinseki to include funding for the site in their budget request. In 2014, Schumer announced the VA agreed to this request and would provide the necessary $122.4 million as a part of the FY 2015 omnibus spending bill to begin the construction phase of this project. The $122 million appropriation funds phase I scope of work and represents a substantial portion of Canandaigua VA Medical Center's estimated $300 million redevelopment plan; which includes a modern outpatient clinic, additional housing and services.

Schumer has been a longtime supporter of the Canandaigua VA Medical campus, and its various improvement projects including securing the land lease needed to break ground on the Cadence Square housing development in 2012. Schumer has been a longtime champion of the Canandaigua VA campus upgrade, but says the project was delayed for years under the purview of the VA. Now that oversight of the project has been tasked to the Army Corps, Schumer is urging the Army Corps to ensure that this important project can get back on track. The planned project will modernize the campus for decades to come and effectively deliver a continuum of care for both recently returning veterans and aging veteran populations. Schumer said the Rochester-Finger Lakes area is home to tens of thousands of veterans, and this newly renovated and updated medical center campus will finally allow those veterans to access the healthcare options they need and deserve.

Specifically, the $122.4 million scope of work will include building a new, modern Outpatient clinic by renovating Building #2 on the Canandaigua VA Medical Center campus, as well as building a new structure on now-empty land between Building #1 and Building #2. Additionally, Building #3 will be renovated to add new rehabilitation and behavioral health services, and Building #1 will be renovated for new administrative support departments so that patients can more efficiently work with their health care providers. Future construction phases would also include the construction of new 120-bed community living centers, to include geropsychiatric services and hospice care, in addition to the renovation of Building #9 into a 50-bed domiciliary/residential rehabilitation facility.

Schumer said at the time the $122.4 million in construction funding was approved in December 2014, it was anticipated construction contracts could be awarded within twelve months, as soon as the fall of 2015. However, that process of soliciting contracts to build and renovate these facilities has not yet begun. Schumer said now that the Army Corps is poised to take over the project, the federal agency should do so expeditiously. Schumer said this project lagged under the VA over the last several years which is why he is now pushing the Army Corps to immediately move on the approvals it needs to transfer the project so construction can begin as soon as possible. Schumer said the construction phase of this project will not only bring area veterans one step closer to accessing the care they require near their homes but also create hundreds of good-paying local construction jobs, which will positively impact the regional economy.

In addition, Schumer also said New York State is no stranger to harsh winters and cold temperatures and, as such, inclement weather can often shorten construction timelines or result in projects being put off until the following year's construction season. Schumer said this could further put off this long-awaited facility improvement. Therefore, he said the Army Corps must continue moving forward with these approvals and transfers so the modernization of this facility is no longer stalled and construction can begin as soon as possible.

Schumer was joined by Wayne Thompson, Chairman of the Finger Lakes Veterans Advocacy Council (FLVAC), local veterans and elected officials.

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