4 Dec 2023

Louisville VA Medical Center reaches “Topping Out” milestone

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, along with partners from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Walsh-Turner JV, marked a major construction milestone for the new Louisville VA Medical Center during a Topping Out ceremony onsite Nov. 30.

8 Nov 2023

Retired soldier continues to serve on Louisville VA project

Louisville, Ky. – Dave Kopecky has worn quite a few hats, and military ranks, since he first enlisted in the Army in 1996. He went on to serve for 25 years before retiring from military service. Now he continues to serve the nation and other veterans as member of the Louisville District’s Louisville VA Medical Center construction team as a project engineer and contracting officer’s representative.

27 Sep 2023

POW relative’s remains coming home spurs pride in family, service and sacrifice

Bee Spring, Kentucky – Darren Smith, a natural resource specialist with Nolin River Lake in Bee Spring, Kentucky, has deep ties to the area around the lake, and those ties are about to become even deeper as the remains of his great uncle, a World War II Veteran, are to be brought home and buried at a local cemetery Oct. 1.

22 Sep 2023

Louisville VAMC project reaches “bottoming out” milestone

Louisville, Ky. – For most construction projects, progress can be visually measured as structures start to come out of the ground and begin to take shape. This would not be possible without the foundations that transfers the loads of the vertical structures to the soil safely. Part of that foundation work can include the installation of drilled piers.

17 Jul 2023

Louisville VA project to include two parking garages

Louisville, Ky. – One major difference the new Louisville VA Medical Center will boast over the current Robley Rex VA Medical Center is the addition of two parking garage structures compared to surface lot parking for patients. It’s hoped that these parking garages will be a welcomed addition for patients as they will not only provide more parking but provide shorter distances to the medical center.

6 Jun 2023

Volunteer campers provide extra helping hands to lake staff

The staff at Patoka Lake in Dubois, Indiana, recently welcomed two members of the “family” back, just in time for the busy summer months ahead at the lake. Tim and Margie Carter aren’t paid staff members, instead, they are volunteer campers who help with various tasks to help maintain the property in exchange for being able to park and connect their 38-foot camper there.

8 May 2023

Army officer’s heritage influences past, present and future

Capt. Vinh Dao has been on a long journey both distance- and experience-wise since his family immigrated to the United States in the 1990s. It’s a journey that he continues to navigate using lessons from his family and as an Army officer.

20 Apr 2023

Engineering students visit LOUVAMC construction site

Louisville, Ky. – Engineering students from the University of Louisville had the opportunity to visit the site of the new Louisville VA Medical Center where they were given an overview of the project as well as a site tour April 13.

30 Mar 2023

Former co-op student now leads District’s current largest project

Louisville, Ky. – With hard work and perseverance, anything is possible, just ask Tara O’Leary. Little did she know that when she started working for the Louisville District in 1996 that she would one day be leading the team on one of its mega-projects. O’Leary, who is now the Deputy Chief of the Veterans Affairs Division and Louisville VAMC project manager, started her journey with the district as a co-op student while attending the University of Louisville to study engineering.

14 Mar 2023

Stormwater management key to successful construction

Thousands of things must be considered and planned for in the construction of a complex facility like a new hospital and the multiple support facilities they require. Of course, many of the decisions involved are essential to guaranteeing the new facility can provide the best quality care for patients – ensuring their health for years to come. One consideration that may not come to mind to the average person for such a facility is how to preserve the environment underneath and around the new construction. This includes the construction of a rainwater drainage system so as not to disrupt the way water moves after large amounts of rainwater accumulate from storms.

24 Feb 2023

Re-used materials add value to construction project

Since the beginning of construction of the Louisville VA Medical Center in December 2021, the site has seen a lot of change and one of the most noticeable early changes was it going from a 35-acre grassy field to much of the earth materials being collected and sorted in large piles on the south side of the property. What some may think of as waste materials - the expected leftovers from earthwork, isn’t going to waste. In fact, more than 70,000 cubic yards of material have been reused in multiple ways in construction on the site.

24 Feb 2023

Co-op student following in father’s footsteps working at USACE

Being a member of a team can often feel like being part of a family, and sometimes team members actually are family. That’s the case for Will Jasper and his father, Kevin Jasper.

13 Dec 2022

Louisville VA Medical Center project wraps up first year of construction

It was a little over a year ago, Veterans Day 2021, that the first shovels kicked off work on the Louisville VA Medical Center during a groundbreaking ceremony. Now, with 20 percent of the scheduled construction time passed, work is taking place on almost every inch of the 34-acre site.

21 Nov 2022

Navy veteran proud to help build new VA Medical Center

Louisville, Ky. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District has brought together a team of experts in their fields to work on the new Louisville VA Medical Center, all bringing something unique to the project that will benefit veterans for decades to come. It’s a job that comes with a lot of responsibility and pride knowing just how important the new facility will be to area veterans.

15 Sep 2022

Major features of Louisville VA Medical Center project lay down foundations for future work

After 10 months of construction on the site of the Louisville VA Medical Center, area residents are starting to see the beginnings of the facility rise out of the ground. Much of this year has been spent on various earthwork preparations, but great strides have been made in several foundation-laying portions of the project over the last several months.

26 Jul 2022

Louisville District Co-op program provides win-win for students and USACE

The Louisville District’s Engineering Division Co-operative Student Internship Program not only helps college students gain valuable experience in their careers, but also provides the division an inside track to training and retaining well-qualified staff.

21 Jun 2022

Soldiers shadow USACE engineers at LOUVAMC site

Three non-commissioned officers assigned to 1st Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky recently had the opportunity to shadow Quality Assurance Representatives from the Louisville Veterans Medical Center construction project June 6-10.  

20 Jun 2022

The buzz around Patoka Lake is that pollinators are an important part of nature

This week is National Pollinator Week, June 20-26, and those interested in learning about pollinators and how they fit into the ecosystem can visit Patoka Lake in Dubois, Ind., to see some local pollinators in action.  Patoka Lake is home to two hives of honeybees – each containing 20,000 to 60,000 of the flying little pollinators. 

11 Jun 2022

USACE Office of Value Expertise earns accolades at international industry event

It was nearly a clean sweep for the USACE Value Program, which was awarded six of eight honors during the SAVE International 2022 Value Summit held June 4-8 in Glendale, Arizona. The Summit is a yearly event providing essential continuing education to individuals that practice Value Engineering by bringing together professionals from the Value Engineering industry from around the world.  

10 Jun 2022

Construction continues on Canandaigua VA hospital project

Work continues on multiple projects across the campus of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, as visitors can notice the work on new facilities and upgrades to current buildings across 75 percent of the hospital’s grounds.  The work is being done thanks to recommendations from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) program noting that the decades-old facilities were being underutilized, said Gerry DiPaola, USACE Project Manager for the Canandaigua VA Medical Center construction.