Vets-home panel picks NLR

Golf course site favored; state VA chief has final word

The Arkansas Veterans Commission voted Tuesday to recommend that the state’s new veterans home be built in North Little Rock.

The selection comes about a month after members whittled the list of 20 proposals down to four finalists -two in Jacksonville and one each in North Little Rock and Searcy.

Cissy Rucker, the director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs who will ultimately decide the location of the new home within the next two weeks, said she would take the commission’s vote under consideration.

Commission Chairman Bob Schoenborn said the North Little Rock site is best if the department can secure the property from the federal government.

The 52.7-acre tract across from Fort Roots in North Little Rock is now the nine-hole Emerald Park Golf Course and leased by the city, but ownership can be transferred to the department at no cost, according to the city’s site application.

It’s unclear when the veterans home will be built.

Rucker warned that construction will likely be delayed until fiscal 2015 unless the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs moves the state up on its priority list for veterans homes.

The state is currently ranked 19th on the list of projects, only 18 of which will receive funding in fiscal 2014, she said.

“That’s not all bad news. It gives us some time to work on the design, get a good site location, get all the inspections - everything we have to do. … That way when somebody says, ‘Hey, we’ve got money for you,’ we’re ready,” Rucker said.

The director announced at the meeting that the department had interviewed five architectural firms and selected Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects of Little Rock to design the home.

The firm has designed several medical facilities in Arkansas, including the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute and two Baptist Health facilities, according to its website.

But Rucker said it was premature to begin discussing the specifics of the project because the firm was selected Friday and no contract has been signed.

“They’re not going to hit the ground and show us the design in the morning. So I ask that you give that process the time to work,” Rucker said.

The state Department of Veterans Affairs closed the Little Rock Veterans Home in June 2012 after estimating that it would cost $10 million to repair plumbing and sewer lines, electrical and heating systems and a leaking roof.

The state has set aside $7.5 million for construction of the new home, and the department has requested a $13.9 million matching grant from the federal government.

Nine commission members said they favored the North Little Rock site, while three spoke in favor of the Searcy location.

Commissioner Terry Williams Jr. said that when he and three other commissioners visited the sites, they still had questions about the Jacksonville locations after their tour. But he said the North Little Rock location provided “some serenity” with a neighboring small lake that made it seem like a good fit.

“It wouldn’t take a whole lot of work, I think, to get where we want it,” Williams said.

Commissioner Tom Thomas said he favored the Searcy site because of the “intangibles” that it provided, including the physical therapy and nursing programs at nearby Harding University. He said the state would also save money in landscaping costs, which other commissioners said would be more costly in North Little Rock.

North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith said in a statement that the commission’s review of the sites had been thorough.

“We appreciate their hard work and are grateful for the confidence they have shown in a North Little Rock location that is convenient, offers plenty of nearby amenities and across-the-street access to the Towbin veterans Healthcare Center,” Smith said.

Buck Layne, president of the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview that there would be other uses for the Searcy location and “it won’t sit there” if Rucker decides to side with the commission’s recommendation.

“We’re disappointed, but we want the veterans to get the best possible site that they can,” Layne said.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 01/22/2014

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