Construction on vets home six months behind schedule

Cy Ryan and Greg Harman

Friday, July 21, 2000 | 11:26 a.m.

Construction on the state's first veterans nursing home has slipped six months behind schedule, and the $20 million project also faces a swirl of safety concerns and rumors of litigation.

The Boulder City facility got under way last year after 12 years of political wrangling.

"We should have had residents on July 1," said Jon Sias, director of the state veterans home for the Nevada Office of Veterans Services. "We should have celebrated the Fourth of July here."

The state project was originally scheduled for completion on May 1. Two months were reserved for the licensing process.

Now the deadline has drifted back to November, with an expected opening date of Jan. 1.

"It's supposed to be handed over to me on Nov. 1," Sias said, adding, "I'll believe it when I see it."

Dave Schmidt, project director for the state Public Works Board, admitted there have been problems and delays. He said there is a possibility of litigation between the state and the contractor, Addison Construction of Las Vegas.

The current contract calls for Addison to be finished working by July 26, but the contractor has asked for another extension. Schmidt said the state is evaluating that request.

A detailed list of alleged safety concerns circulated by a Boulder City resident includes bolt heads being sheared off by the building's expansion in the summer heat, leading to several trusses becoming detached. It also details sheetrock buckling from the stress placed on wall frames and a sagging roof.

Schmidt said he disagrees with the majority of the flaws detailed in the memo. "It sounds like a disgruntled subcontractor," he said.

Schmidt said he knew nothing about the roof sagging but acknowledged "some cracking" of the sheetrock on the outside. He said that will be corrected once the building is enclosed. He declined to talk further about any possible defects, citing the possible lawsuit.

"There are problems with the job ... it is behind ... we're trying to work them out ... hopefully for delivery by this fall," Schmidt said.

Schmidt disputes the allegation that the project is a safety hazard. The state Occupational Safety and Health Agency has issued some citations but they have been minor, he said.

Roger Bremner, director of the state Division of Industrial Relations, which oversees the OSHA agency, said an inspection was done in May. Addison was cited for three minor violations that were corrected.

Bremner said Addison Steel, a subcontractor, was cited for a major violation, which has been fixed. He said the inspectors did not find any conditions that would make the site an unsafe place to work.

State Veterans Affairs Director Ray Alcorn said the project hopefully will be completed by the end of October. Asked about the reports of defects, Alcorn said, "We've got a public works inspector on the job and there have been no reports from him that says anything is unsafe. It is meeting the codes."

There was a problem "early on," Alcorn said, when the contractor found that all the measurements on the architect drawing "didn't match up. We got that fixed."

"We will have to pass some stringent inspections from the state Health Department. If there are problems, no veterans will be in there until things are ready."

Alcorn also said the 180-bed skilled nursing home for veterans would have to pass federal inspections before it can open.

The facility already has a waiting list of about 75 veterans. The nursing home will retain double the national average of certified nursing assistants and allow them to be as involved in care-giving decisions as department heads.

Five staff members have already been hired to start setting up the programs for the veterans.