Site not right for VA home

Thursday, May 7, 1998 | 1:12 a.m.

Starting the search anew could delay the 180-bed home by months if the Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't agree to a time extension beyond a Sept. 30 federal funding deadline.

Eric Raecke, manager of the Public Works Board, told the Legislature's Interim Finance Committee that fissures in the soil at the North Las Vegas site offered for free by the Air Force would require an estimated $2 million to fix.

"That's too much for us to pay for free land," he said Wednesday.

Raecke added the project could be built at the site, but that there would be no amenities or landscaping for the occupants.

Lawmakers, while facing the deadline, reluctantly agreed to start the search over again.

"With that kind of cost, this site is out," said the committee's chairman, Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno.

A search committee made up of lawmakers who did the site review last year will begin immediately to again assess possible locations, including two in Boulder City that were given strong consideration but ultimately were rejected.

Lawmakers also agreed to look at land adjacent to the new National Guard Armory near Nellis Air Force Base, as well as any other property that might qualify.

Charles Abbott, executive director of the Commission for Veterans Affairs, said he's concerned about a delay in the construction of the facility because of the new site selection process. But the VA has indicated that a six-month extension could be granted if substantial work is under way on a site by the deadline, he said.

State funding for the 180-bed skilled nursing home was recommended by Gov. Bob Miller and approved by the 1997 Legislature. The total project cost is estimated at $19.4 million, with $6.8 million from the state already approved.