U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District Commander Col. Antoinette Gant and Deputy District Engineer Linda Murphy participated in a groundbreaking ceremony April 10, 2018, for the Veterans Affairs Canandaigua Medical Center Facility Project at Canandaigua, New York.
This project constructs a new 84,000 square foot Outpatient Clinic, a new chiller/emergency generator plant, renovates 85,000 square feet of existing facility space, and upgrades existing roadways and site utilities.
Attendees included VA Executive Director of the Office of Construction and Facility Management Stella Fiotes, Veterans Integrated Service Network Director Joan McInerney, Acting Canandaigua Medical Director Ken Piazza, and staff from the New York congressional delegation.
This is the first USACE construction award of thirteen Department of Veterans Affairs major construction projects identified for execution under a nationwide Interagency Agreement executed in late 2015 among the agencies, for a program totaling over $6 billion. It has taken a multi-agency team consisting of the VA Office of Construction and Facility Management, VA Healthcare Administration, USACE Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, USACE Louisville District, and USACE Buffalo District, along with leaders from local, state, and federal government to successfully move this project forward.
“This project is somewhat unique not only because of its size and complexity, but because of the great collaboration we had among the cross-divisional, multi-agency project delivery team members. And achieving this milestone, the groundbreaking for construction, was truly a team effort by all involved.” said Melody Thompson, USACE Louisville District Veterans Affairs program manager.
The project was awarded on January 18, 2018, to Pike-P. J. Dick Joint Venture, and the contractor has mobilized to begin preparatory work for the construction effort. The physical construction of the major features of work is scheduled to begin April 30, 2018, with Phase I construction set to be completed by December 31, 2021.
“What a special project for USACE and our team to be a part of,” said Matt Lowe, USACE Louisville District Veterans Affairs Division chief. “Not only is this a great project professionally, but it allows us to influence the quality of care our veterans receive, which is rewarding on a personal level.”