By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Warsaw officials have been lobbying for years for a specific site for construction of a VA clinic, and on Monday, one official said they’re eyeing a location on CR 200N near Parkview Kosciusko Hospital.
Efforts to bring a VA clinic to Warsw have been underway for several years, and Jeremy Skinner, director of community & economic development, said Monday they found an entity that agreed to place it adjacent to other recently constructed medical offices along CR 200N.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has increasingly relied on the use of third-party entities for construction projects.
Skinnner said they’ve been lobbying for that property because of its proximity to Parkview, Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital and US 30.
Skinner brought up the issue Monday at a city redevelopment commission meeting and said they are working on a memo of understanding that would be part of a sale of the land from Parkview Health to an unidentified LLC.
The clinic is expected to be about 16,000 square feet, and Skinner said they hope construction could begin this year or next.
The project is expected to cost roughly seven to eight million dollars, and Skinner said the city is ready to provide $1 million to cover some of the development costs.
Neither the MOU nor the financial transaction has been approved by the city, but Skinner addressed the rationale on Monday.
“When you think about the benefit that this will offer all of the veterans in Kosciusko County, people who have served our country, giving them easy access to the health care that they need in a shorter distance, a shorter travel … that’s definitely worth the city’s participation,” Skinner said.
He was also asked if the plan would come together if not for the city’s financial support.
“They’ ve been trying to put on (in Warsaw) for the last five years,” Skinner said. “Does this help get it done? I think so, yes.”
Money for the project would come from one of several tax increment finance funds controlled by the city.
