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VA Redevelopment Project
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VA Conveyance Bill Passes; On Way to Clinton By John Halbert, Star Staff Writer Authorization
to convey ownership of the Veterans Affairs Campus in Miles City to Custer
County has passed out of Congress and is headed for President Bill Clinton's
desk. The
Custer County Commissioners are not obligated to accept the property, and they
have listed certain conditions that must be met before they do. But after the
president signs the bill, the commissioners will be able to take it when they
see fit. In
a press release, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said that during last-minute
negotiations, lawmakers included the conveyance in a larger veterans affairs
bill. According
to Baucus aide Liz Ching, the House accepted the Senate version of the veterans
affairs bill, so there was no need for a conference committee. That was a major
benefit in these crowded final days of the present Congress, as members strive
to complete must-do business, she said. Originally,
that legislation carried a provision appropriating nearly $5 million for the
redevelopment and conversion of the building. That money was stripped out in
committee. But
Ching said it has been agreed that the offices of the Montana A
separate part of this year's package is an appropriation of $100,000 for a
feasibility study. That is included in another bill for VA and Housing and Urban
Development appropriations. The
conferees on that VA/HUD appropriations bill have not yet been "They
anticipate that VA/HUD will go through Tuesday or Wednesday," she That
money, Ching said, will expedite and continue the recently started Sandra
Anderson of the VA Redevelopment Task Force said of the 100,000, "The
important thing that does is keep us going while we go for the $4.9 "Before,
we had such difficult time lines to work with," Anderson said. "The
VA had set the end of their fiscal year, which was the end of "It
is in their (VA's) interest to work with Congress," Ching said, "and
they have indicated their willingness to do that, and give us the time we
need." "And
what this ends up doing for us," Anderson said, "is to make use of all
this good groundwork we've done when we go back for the $4.9 million. We'll have
the feasibility study to help us carry that through Congress, well as getting
the county commissioners the information they need." The
conditions the commissioners have stipulated must be met before the "The
county will not accept ownership until the conditions are met," Ching said.
"It's still up to them. "They
want some assurance the building is viable before they accept it,
VA
Conveyance Bill Clears First Hurdle but Loses Funds. By John Halbert, Star Staff Writer The
bill to convey the Miles City Veterans Affairs Medical Campus to the Custer
County government has passed through its first stage of the process in Congress. But
along the way, the bill lost its authorization for the $4.9 million to retrofit
the former 100-bed hospital to new uses with lower maintenance cost, Sen. Max
Baucus, D-Mont., told a Miles City audience at the VA auditorium Tuesday. In
the midst of talking about economic development efforts, Baucus noted that
“Here in Miles City, the VA transfer is very, very important.” “We
did not come up with the $4.9 million authorization,” he added, regarding the
action of the Senate Veterans Affairs committee, before which both he and Sen.
Conrad Burns, R-Mont., testified in support of Senate bill 2637.
“Under the Senate rules, the Appropriations Committee can appropriate
up to $4 million without an authorization. “We’re
looking for the other $900,000.” “I
just learned about this a couple days ago.
My experience is, where there’s a will, there’s a way.
I feel it’s appropriate to work for local interests.” Later
in his remarks before the audience, Baucus praised the VA Redevelopment Task
Force. It’s where the rubber
meets the road,” he said. He
added he could not offer a time line on when the Montana delegation might seek
funding to go along with the conveyance. “Congress
is not in session until after Labor Day,” Baucus said.
“The store is closed.” He
set himself a “seek- to two-week benchmark” to start making phone calls to
colleagues in the Senate, particularly Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Sen.
Christopher Bond, R-Mo., of the Appropriations Committee’s VA & HUD
Subcommittee. Later
Tuesday afternoon, in a interview, Baucus aide Liz Ching, who has been
Baucus’s liaison to the VA Redevelopment Task Force for the past year, said
she had gotten a call from the Veterans Affairs Committee staff with the good
news that the bill had been marked up, and the bad news that the authorization
had been deleted. Ching
said that with that action, the will go on to consideration by the full Senate,
and most likely by a “unanimous consent” voice vote. With
time growing short for this session Congress, it is hard to gather senators
together, she said, and roll call votes are usually reserved for the big-ticket
and controversial items. “Both
sides want it, there’s no objection, and there’s no money in it,” she
said. “I t could go a number of
different ways. “The
hard part will be to find the money,” Ching added, noting that the Custer
County Commissioners in May had a sent a letter along with their statement of
intent to accept the conveyance which made the appropriation a condition of
their acceptance. That
letter, to each member of the Montana congressional delegation, said in part,
“The county could not accept title to the VA Medical Complex if the $4.9
million appropriations legislation does not pass coincidentally with the
conveyance legislation.” “They
were pretty clear,” Ching said, adding that the challenge now is to make a
clear case before the VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee. “We
are going to have problems; we knew that going in. It does create precedents,” she said. But she added that the congressional recess may actually work
in Miles City’s favor. “It’s
good for Max and Conrad to have some time.
They don’t have that crunch of time that happens when the Senate is in
session,” Ching said. “And
he (Baucus) is going to have to be more passionate about it.
This is probably going to be the last appropriations bill out of the
chute. It’s going to be a
battle.” “Early
October is when Congress is set to adjourn.
September is going to be wild in terms of the amount of work that needs
to be done. So I think our
arguments need to focus on why Miles City is unique in the VA system.
If we lose this, we not lose the VA clinic and nursing home, but we’ll
be contracting out services and maybe demolishing the building.” Baucus,
in another interview Tuesday afternoon, also said the Veterans Affairs Committee
was concerned about creating precedents that would come back to haunt it. “There’s
going to be a lot of these around the country,” Baucus said.
“The committee’s not going to take the time to check whether all the
conveyances are as well-though-0out as this one “Their
concern is that there will be a waste of the taxpayers’ money.
They don’t have the time and wherewithal to check into all of them.
By John Halbert, With
a deadline in Congress looming at the end of business Friday, the Custer County
Commissioners have agreed to act as recipients of a federal appropriation to aid
the redevelopment of the Veterans Affairs facility in Mile City. Dan
Connors, the chairman of the commissioners, said Friday morning he would sign
the document requesting an appropriation Friday afternoon. “If
we don’t take responsibility, it (the VA clinic and nursing home) will
probably close at the end of the fiscal year,” Connors said. The
request is for $4.9 million to handle several outstanding remodeling needs, and
to provide reserve and depreciation funds for unforeseen problems with capital
systems in the 50-year-old building. Submitting
the request offers no assurance congress will approve it, but not submitting it
guarantees that funding option is lost. The
Veterans Affairs Department operates and outpatient clinic and 30-bed nursing
home in about one-third of what once was a 100-bed hospital and ancillary
buildings on a 14.5-acre tract. The
VA has made a commitment to maintain its units for an additional five years as
an anchor tenant if a new landlord can be found to take over the care and
maintenance of the entire facility. Otherwise
it is likely the VA will find sites with lower overhead costs elsewhere to
provide what the VA needs in this region. The
VA Redevelopment Task Force is a community group that has been trying to find
additional uses, tenants and some new form of ownership for the building.
Funding for a feasibility study is being sought, and at least $20,000 for
that study seems likely to come from the Economic Development Administration.
But
while that funding and that study are being arranged, a deadline loomed in
Congress to apply for appropriations in the next budget. Cathy
Byron, VA Redevelopment project coordinator, said local organizers were informed
of the deadline only last week. “This
was our only chance to ask for an appropriation, so we have to project for the
worst possible scenario,” Byron said late Thursday afternoon.
“We burned the midnight oil for the last eight days.
It’s been intense.” The
document Byron and other organizers developed requests congress to appropriate
$4,965,400 for several purposes, listed in the document as “hazardous
materials abatement during remodeling, building system upgrades, development of
MCC curricula outlined above, development of a capital reserve fund and a funded
depreciation fund, and to bring the buildings and all the systems therein up to
codes that apply once the property changes hands. What
that translates into, Byron said, is a low-pressure boiler system within the
main building (to save an extensive amount of money and manpower over the
present system), dealing with asbestos and possible lead-based paint while that
is being installed, remodeling a portion to meet Miles Community College’s
needs and a high-tech distance learning center for several agencies, and reserve
funds to deal with as-yet-unknown breakdowns that go beyond ordinary
maintenance. Byron
and Connors both noted that if the feasibility study doesn’t show a way the
building can be economically operated, the county has the option of returning
the allocation. “This
is just like saying ‘we’re interested.”
There is no contract until the final acceptance is signed,” Conners
said. “What
the commissioners will be doing,” Bryon said, “they’ve agreed to step up
to the plate and they’re saying, ‘We are looking for some solid information,
a solid business plan, a marketing strategy and any needs assessments that need
to be done – we are looking for all that information to determine if the VA
property is a viable proposition for the county to take on this property.’ “It
goes without saying that they are going to be very prudent in any decision they
make. “Kudos to our elected official,” she added. “Hill’s, Baucus’ and the Burns’ offices all worked with us, and the three county commissioners have now stepped on to that team. We could never do this without them.” [Top of page]
By John Halbert Amid
a complex tangle of “ifs” and “maybes” and uncertain time lines, a group
has been formed to offer a local voice in the future of the buildings and grounds
on the Veterans Affairs Department’s campus in Miles City. The
VA Hospital Redevelopment Task Force, a group, of nearly 30 people representing
a wide range of local and eastern Montana interests, has held a couple of
meetings. “We
are at a crucial point of getting in on the ground floor and looking at what is
best for the community rather than reacting after it is done,” said Sandra
Anderson, one of the organizers in a press release after the first meeting. The
group currently plans a two-phase program, according to Cathy Byron, project and
community coordinator for the effort. Phase
I is to get the task force organized, set up a coordinator (Byron), and begin to
amass information about alternative uses for the vacated VA space. “Determining
what uses the community would support and accept is a key to successful
completion of this phase,” the release said.
“In Phase I, the task force will also study successful models being
used for ownership and management of similar but much smaller projects in
Boulder, Anaconda and Forsyth.” Byron
said about $15,000 in grant money will be sought, which with in-kind services
provided as match brings the total to $17,5000. Phase
II would produce a feasibility study “to determine the best options for
matching VA space utilization, needs of the community, and identification of a
viable owner/manager entity,” the release said. Byron
said it is expected that Phase II will cost another $35,000. “Understand,
that’s a real soft estimate right now,” she said. “What
we’re trying to do is become organized, and an entity that has credibility, so
as it goes through the steps that it takes to transfer ownership, that the local
community has a say in the future of the building.” Marilyn
Frize, manager of the VA Health Care Montana facility in Miles City, is a member
of the task force. She has outlined
the VA’s current thinking on the issue, but stressed that no formal decision
has been made by the VA that will allow the facility to move from speculation to
reality. “Our
number one goal is to find a new owner for the building,” Frize told the first
meeting of the task force. We would lease back the space it takes to continue
providing the existing service to our veterans." VA
Healthcare Montana currently offers an active outpatient clinic in Miles City,
and a 30-bed nursing home unit. However,
Frize stressed in a telephone interview, the VA has not formally determined that
the building is excess to its needs. Until
that is done, the VA remains the owner of the property.
And Frize said there is no time line to reach that decision. The
issue has been complicated by the Clinton Administration’s recent effort to
add $1 billion to the VA medical budget. How
that fares in Congress will make a big difference between ample dollars or a
shortage of dollars in local budgets, she said. “Until
we a get a feel for that, we’re waiting to make our decision,” said “We
need to discuss our options; the pros and cons of going forward now or
waiting.” If
the VA decides all or part of the existing buildings are surplus to its needs,
then the surplus property reverts to the General Service Administration.
Frize
said that while it may be theoretically possible for the VA to retain ownership
and hire a management agency to handle the surplus parts of the facility, “We
want to provide healthcare, not manage property,” she said. So
as soon as the VA declares the property surplus, the GSA takes over, she said.
She has been in contact with Realty Specialist John Robinson of the
GSA’s property disposal division in Fort Worth, Texas. Robinson
is tentatively scheduled to come to Miles City and meet with the task force Aug.
12. “The
main reason he’s coming out is to go over exactly how the process works with
every interested part,” Frize said. “He
wants to make sure we’re not wasting our time going in a direction we
shouldn’t be going, and that we understand the legalities of the process.” She
said he told her there are three tiers to the process.
The surplus property could end up in the hands of another federal agency,
it could be transferred a state or local government entity, or it could be sold
to a private entity. Sharon
Kearnes, a member of both the task force and the Miles City Council, reported to
the council last week on the results of the first meeting, describing the VA’s
position. “A
lot of it is matching funding to ideas,” she said. “The major issue is that there needs to be an umbrella
landlord. “Whoever that agency is should be non-profit so it can go after all the grant money possible. That’s where we’re log-jammed.” [Top of page]
Community,
Gov’t Support Key To Filling VA. Various Interests Brainstorm How To Utilize
Unused Portions Of Building. By
Elaine Swanson, Star Staff Writer Finding
a use for the empty space in the Veterans Affairs complex will take the
community working together and the support of the local governments, according
to many speakers at a meeting Wednesday afternoon in the VA auditorium. Over
50 community leaders attended the meeting to brainstorm ideas for the VA
facility. Many are concerned about
the future of the property due to the situation the former Holy Rosary Hospital
is in. The
VA’s Miles City division manager, Marilyn Frize, said the nursing home and
outpatient care utilizes only about half of the main building.
Within the last four months, a real estate agent found renters for all
the residences on the property. Not
being utilized are three floors of the main building, about seven garages, a
warehouse measuring about 40,000 square feet and several landscaped acres. Frize
stressed the VA is not in the real estate business, so the government is
interested in someone taking over the property, and the VA would lease back
space for their services. There
will be a lot of red tape, but due to government downsizing, there are many
areas facing the same problem and going through the same process, she said. “We
see this as a community issue …. And we’re interested in your concerns,”
she said. “We
need to get organized and step up to the plate. The opportunity is here and we need to take advantage of
it,” said Sandra Anderson, one of the organizers of the meeting. Miles
community College President Dr. Bob Bennett said no one group can do this.
“We’re talking partnership. … Collectively we may be able to do
something.” He
said the college needs space like the VA’s to initiate some new programs that
could build up MCC’s enrollment, but it needs money to do that.
He anticipates the programs would contribute greatly to the community. The
college wants to be “a player” in the future of the complex, but it cannot
do it alone, he said. In
a similar situation, consultant Cathy Bryon, Kate Chioutsis of Southeastern
Montana Development Corporation and Rosebud County Commissioner Gary Fjelstad
explained how the Forsyth community and local governments pulled together to
turn an abandoned air force housing unit into a vital part of the community. The
Air Force built 50 homes in Forsyth and after about 10 years the military pulled
out. Through programs and the help
of Sens. Max Baucus’ and Conrad Burns’ offices, the community was able to
obtain the homes, repair and maintain them, insure them and find renters. The
housing unit was filled up ahead of schedule.
The community was able to attract retired couples from outside the area
and outside the state and is now beginning to see a profit.
The
people involved in that project offered their help in the VA project. Stockman
Bank president Lloyd Sohl and MCC Vice President Dale Oberlander both cautioned
that in making any plan for the VA, the group needed to be sensitive to the
private sector and not simply transfer businesses and organizations from one
area of town to the VA property. Sohl
said the community needs to market the property outside of the area and outside
of Montana. “We
have an excellent facility and an excellent community,” he said. The
meeting broke up into groups to brainstorm ideas for the property.
Among the ideas were: dorms, office space, minimum-security women’s
federal prison, an educational human development center, food bank, chiropractic
training, youth program, medical clinic, classrooms, YMCA, regional fire and/or
law enforcement training center, long-term retirement facility, small business
ventures, communication center, sick-child program, city and county office
space, day care facility, conference or convention center, dental hygienist
training, alternative high school, veterans services, senior programs, handicap
industry, housing, and 24-hour special-needs respite care. Liz
Ching from Baucus’ office said community priorities and support are what drive
the process, and the support of local governments is essential. Cheryl
Shaffer from Burns’ office suggested the group narrow down their options into
a couple of choices and then the senators can help. Frize
is still collecting information on options and the group will meet again to look
further into the feasibility of the VA property and ideas.
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