BC vets home nears move-in

Tuesday, March 19, 2002 | 10:03 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- An inspection by the state fire marshal at the long-delayed veterans nursing home in Boulder City is set for Monday, and patients will start being accepted by late June, the state Public Works Board was told Monday.

Board Manager Dan O'Brien said he hoped to have a conditional certificate of occupancy by the end of the month so the staff can start moving into the $20 million project, which originally was scheduled to be complete in January 2001.

O'Brien told the board he has been "cracking the whip" to get the home finished.

The state is still withholding about $2.8 million from the original contractor, Addison Inc., which was fired by the Public Works Board for missing deadlines and other problems. That money should cover costs to complete the project, O'Brien said.

Meanwhile the legal fight over the home continues. Addison, a Las Vegas firm, sued the state when it was pulled off the project and the state counter-sued. The state also sued National Fire Insurance Co., which issued the surety bond for the job.

National Fire sought to have Addison reinstated, but the state balked. National Fire has refused to pay on the project.

Deputy Attorney General Sonja Taggart told the board that a motion by National Fire to dismiss the state's lawsuit was rejected in District Court, and the case is proceeding.

The Public Works Board also heard updates on these projects: