Plans for veterans home advance to federal agency

CARSON CITY -- Plans for the first military veterans home in Nevada have been submitted to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for approval.

Charles Abbott, executive director of the Nevada Commission for Veterans Affairs, said Monday he expects the federal agency to return the plans within 30 days with comments and recommendations. If the plans are approved, groundbreaking could take place in December on the 180-bed Boulder City facility.

Plans for the home include a 24-bed special needs unit, an on-site chapel, a recreation/crafts room, a barber-beauty shop, a physical therapy room, medical examination rooms, a dental facility, a library, a gift shop and a pharmacy.

Abbott said the principal architect for the project is Harry Campbell and Associates of Las Vegas.

"We want to make the building look like a home and not an institution, we need to make it economical to operate and we need it to be designed so that it can adapt to the future needs of our veterans," he said.

The federal government is putting up $12.5 million and the state is chipping in $6.7 million for the veterans home.

archive