Senator Sodders and Representative Smith press for timely completion of Iowa Veterans Home renovations

Senator Steve Sodders of State Center and Representative Mark Smith of Marshalltown met with Commandant David Worley last week to discuss concerns about changes to the construction plans at the Iowa Veterans Home. The legislators arranged the meeting after hearing that in May the Branstad administration unilaterally withdrew Iowa’s application for federal funding of the project.

At the meeting, Senator Sodders and Representative Smith emphasized the urgency of the project, which will ultimately serve as home to military families from across the state.

“There is broad, bi-partisan support for updating the Iowa Veterans Home to better serve our veterans and their families,” said Senator Sodders. “There is absolutely no reason that construction should be pushed back or delayed.”

“We urge Governor Branstad to give this project his fullest attention,” said Representative Smith. “He needs to do everything in his power to ensure we don’t lose federal funding and to secure the project’s timely completion. I certainly hope the Governor will do a better job keeping the public informed of any further changes to the project.”

Commandant Worley explained that a new architectural firm will be selected by this week and that a new proposal will be submitted to the federal Department of Veterans Affairs in time for the next round of funding decisions on August 15. The revised proposal will allow for more individual rooms at the Veterans Home to accommodate the changing needs of Iowa’s veterans. He also stated that the Legislature has already appropriated sufficient funds to complete the revised project.

“I also want to reiterate that the Project Labor Agreements associated with this project should provide no excuse for any delay. I don’t want to see the Branstad administration get wrapped up in political litigation that postpones construction the way they have elsewhere,” Senator Sodders said. “There’s no excuse for playing politics with our veterans’ health and safety or with the jobs that will be created locally by this project.”

The Branstad administration opposes Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), which make it easier for taxpayer-funded construction projects to be completed by local union workers. The Branstad administration is currently embroiled in litigation fighting a PLA in Cedar Rapids, delaying completion of a construction project there. However, the low bid that the Branstad administration rejected for the Veterans Home project was won by a non-union contractor from Red Oak, Iowa.

Senator Sodders and Representative Smith summarized their concerns in a follow-up letter to Governor Branstad after the meeting with Commandant Worley. The legislators stressed that Commandant Worley was not the source of their concerns, writing, “We have full confidence in the Commandant’s commitment to providing the best possible services for Iowa’s veterans. His experience in nursing care is an asset to the project.”