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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Utah veterans nursing home gets unanimous approval
By Jeff DeMossSALT LAKE CITY -- With about 100 military veterans looking on Friday, the Utah Senate unanimously approved $19.7 million to finance construction of a 120-bed nursing home for veterans near the Weber County Fairgrounds.
The House voted 75-0 in January to send House Bill 129, sponsored by Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, to the Senate, which voted on the bill as scheduled Friday morning.
The vote ends several years of lobbying by veterans who say dozens of their rank die every year while waiting for a spot in the state's only veterans nursing home.
"They said this day would never come," said Terry Schow, director of the Utah Department of Veterans' Affairs, while recalling early attempts to persuade the state to fund the project. "This is one of the most significant days in history for Utah veterans."
Construction is expected to begin as early as this spring on the new facility, which will be the largest of its kind in the state. The only other Utah nursing home for veterans, in Salt Lake City, has 80 beds and a waiting list stretching more than a year.
In 2005, the Legislature approved about $4 million in bonds required to receive the federal government's portion of the cost, but the Ogden home remains behind dozens of others on the federal funding list.
Until this year, lawmakers had resisted putting up the full cost of the home before the federal funds came through.
"The message went out that this Legislature didn't care about our veterans, and that's simply not true," said Sen. Peter Knudson, R-Brigham City, a former Army colonel who sponsored the bill on the Senate floor. "It is with great honor that I represent these veterans in presenting this legislation."
Knudson said the persistence of Schow and others is what pushed the Legislature to finally provide the full funding.
"He's been a real trouper and real pain in the butt at the same time," he joked.
An emotional Sen. Jon Greiner, R-Ogden, who served 22 years in the Army Reserve and has had relatives killed or seriously wounded in battle, said the home will be "a bright light to those who have served our country."
George E. Wahlen, of Roy, a World War II veteran and the state's only Medal of Honor recipient, received a standing ovation from the Senate floor and gallery Friday.
"I'm so proud of what the state is doing for veterans," the 83-year-old Wahlen said. "I hope I never have to go in, but I'm glad it's there."
Short of a gubernatorial veto, the facility is now guaranteed, said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem.
"The funding is all there. It's done," said Valentine, who served in the Vietnam War.
Gov. Jon Huntsman highlighted the home as one of his top priorities heading into the legislative session.
While grateful for the 28-0 vote on the Ogden home, Schow took the opportunity to let the Senate know that more homes will be needed in the future.
"We also want to do this in Utah County and Southern Utah, so be prepared."
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