Groundbreaking set for new Veterans Home

Groundbreaking ceremonies are set for 3:30 p.m. May 22 for a new Veterans Home in Mt. Vernon, according to James Dennis, supervisor of volunteer services for the home.

The facility, designed to afford skilled nursing care to veterans throughout the area, will provide 72 private rooms and 64 semiprivate rooms. Dennis said the new facility is being paid for with part of a $21.9 million grant the state received from the federal government.

The facility will employ about 205 workers. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

Land for the facility was purchased and donated by the city of Mt. Vernon, which also agreed to extend utilities to the site. More than 80 citizens expressed strong support of the proposal at a meeting in November 1997.