The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Veterans Affairs are partners in delivering the Canandaigua VA Medical Center Mega Project, providing a state-of-the-art medical facility and health care service infrastructure to approximately 65,000 veterans living in and around the greater Canandaigua, NY area.
"We are forever grateful to our men and women in uniform," said USACE Buffalo District Commander Lt. Col. Jason Toth. "Updating the Canandaigua Medical Center is essential to making sure that New York's veterans have access to the best medical care possible."
The project is directly managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District in concert with the VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management and the Canandaigua VA Medical Center.
"The major construction project at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center provides much needed updates to a campus that is more than 80 years old," said Kenneth P. Piazza, Acting Medical Center Director as of Aug. 16, 2018.
A primary goal of the project is efficient delivery of healthcare services. Accordingly, the project will minimize recurring maintenance costs for underutilized buildings and improve areas such as safety/compliance requirements, patient privacy standards, and security and access points.
The project contains two phases. The Corps of Engineers successfully initiated Phase I (Outpatient Clinic) in Jan. 2018 with an anticipated completion date in the spring of 2022. As of Aug. 2018, Phase II (Community Living Center) was in the project assessment and acceptance phase. Phase II future milestones are based upon FY19 Congressional budget approval.
Phase I work includes renovation of the administration building, demolition of the dining room and kitchen, as well as construction of a chiller/emergency generator plant and outpatient clinic.
Phase II work includes constructing a community living center, a community center, renovations to existing buildings, and utility system upgrades to support the new and renovated spaces.
"In order to execute the project, we formed a regional project delivery team comprised of subject matter experts from the Buffalo and Louisville districts, as well as the USACE Medical Center of Expertise," said Gerald DiPaola, Buffalo District Project Manager.
"USACE brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the project," said Piazza. "Both the Veterans Health Administration and USACE have approached the process by placing a high emphasis on partnering and sharing of information."
USACE's partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs resulted in formal agreements for design and construction oversight of thirteen major medical facilities valued at approximately $6 billion. One such facility, the Rocky Mountain Regional Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, opened in Aug. 2018.
"Investment in the facility demonstrates Federal Government support for Veteran care at the medical center as well as support for local employment," said Piazza. "It gives me a sense of pride in knowing that we will continue to provide the best possible care to Veterans that seek medical care here."
"For myself, this project serves as a reminder of my own service in the U.S. Army," said DiPaola. "I look forward to seeing our veterans' lives and their families' lives improved by these state-of-the-art facilities, in an environment that promotes healing and honors veterans' service."
"The history of the Corps of Engineers is linked to our armed forces and our veterans," said Lt. Col. Toth. "We're proud to deliver solutions for the challenges they face, now and into the future."
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