AURORA | It’s unclear when construction of the massive Aurora VA hospital will resume after Veterans Affairs officials capitulated yesterday to demands that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers take over management of the beleaguered project, according to Aurora Congressman Mike Coffman and other members of the Colorado delegation.
Kiewit-Turner created a commotion Tuesday when they immediately stopped work on the over-budget, delayed hospital, citing a federal board of appeals ruling that the VA had breached its contract.
The VA agreed to some of Kiewit-Turner’s demands in order to get the project back on track and get the hospital completed, Coffman said, after meeting with Colorado’s Congressional delegation in Washington D.C. Top among the demands were that the Army Corps take over management of the project. The VA also agreed to pay Kiewit a disputed $100 million for work the company provided out of pocket, he said.
Coffman crafted legislation that passed the House in September to have the Army Corps oversee all national VA construction projects, but that measure still awaits Senate action. He said the Army Corps would only be assigned to oversee the Aurora Hospital until that legislation is approved.
He said other Colorado congressional delegates are working to keep Kiewit-Turner as the contractor for the hospital.
“We’re working on a bridge contract for 60 days to keep people on the job,” he said. “Immediately, I hope people can come back to work. It’s horrible to lay 1,400 people off before the holidays.”
He said Congress could use other money from the VA budget for the Aurora hospital, which Kiewit-Turner has long estimated will cost $1 billion — almost $400 million more than budgeted. Congress could also tap into a reserve fund for federal agencies who lose cases in court.
However, Kiewit-Turner has not agreed to return to the project.
Early Thursday morning, the massive hospital construction site was quiet, with workers packing ladders and personal tools into a moving truck amidst a sea of eery, cement blocks and metal bars. Other workers sat morosely at a Caribou Coffee across the street.
Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan said keeping Kiewit-Turner as the contractor for the project was the only way to move forward.
“Even if the Army Corps comes in, they’re still just the manager,” he said. “There’s got to be a competent private-sector construction firm doing the work. I believe Kiewit-Turner was doing a great job … The best thing to do would be to get the details and pricing worked out and tell Kiewit to get back to work.”
The VA said in statement Wednesday its senior leadership is in discussion with Kiewit-Turner’s senior leadership to find a potential way forward in light of the ruling by the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals.
Construction would have been completed years ago at all 4 VAMC, if Army Corps had been in control from the start. VAMC doctors and staff do a great job of medical care and research, and have through the years, but are not construction managers. Those tapped to do the job do their best, but this is not something to learn from the top down, even if Washington legislators think they can do it. Present hearings show many that I had doubts about are either senile, or suffering Alzheimers. Attend meetings and don’t remember, if they attend in first place. And with all the documents, paperwork, they depend on staff, and many of those are internes, volunteering to work in the offices.
I have met many of them over the years 1991 to 2008, and been impressed with many, but am not as impressed in recent years. Too much back biting, and promising stuff, with no intentions of following up. This particular construction has been mired in conflict from the git go. Some veteran groups opposed because they live in Denver, and did not want it out in Aurora. Some senior VA officials in Washington who openly stated “VA does not build buildings any more”, “VA contracts for existing buildings”. Then we had change of President, and legislators with attendant delay in their becoming involved, or even being interested.
Seeing handwriting on wall in 1991, when BRAC considered bases to close, my peers (now deceased) saw handwriting on wall for Lowry and Fitzsimons. We attended meetings, met with legislators, traveled to other states to talk to veterans and their families, since Fitzsimons had served entire middle of country for health care until it closed in 1997. Lowry lost runways when city grew out, and it closed in 1994, and both hospitals, clinics, and health support declined. Military was dumped on civilian market under insurance in 1994-2000 era, without adding doctors or nurses to civilian markets. But hospitals built new or expanded their facilities, and suddenly everyone had major illness, or problems. Appointments got further apart, and much shorter time with doctor, or physicians extenders.
In 2001, Congress added Tricare to lighten the cost to veterans and families, also military retirees. Reasonable premiums at first, but have now reached more expensive brackets, especially for those of us who served in the low pay periods of 1950s, 1960s, etc. Our retirement pensions increased slowly, but healthcare really takes a bite out of us now, and getting worse.
IN WAR TIME, MILITARY IS TREATED WELL, PAY INCREASES WITH BENEFITS. When the war stops or slows, those start declining and benefits we earned are taken away. As Major General James Pennington coined the two statements in 1990s. “We are not sheep to be shorn”. And “Pay us now, or pay us later”. That day has come long ago, and many who worked with me, are now deceased. Some are still living, but we all need the healthcare, and we need it now. We expended our youth in military service to our country, and we have no regrets, but are too old now to find work again, or work for benefits.
They are minimizing the impact on the vets and workers to keep up appearances…who lost their job at the va?
My neighbor said 15k guys are outta work because a couple fancy pants government clowns can’t decide who writes a check? Right before Christmas! Fire the fancy pants and put the real workers back to work!