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FYI--VA Breaks Ground on New Regional Office in Reno
VA Breaks Ground on New Regional Office in Reno
WASHINGTON (December 13, 2005) - Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Gordon H. Mansfield today presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for
a new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office in Reno, Nev.
"This landmark event signifies the continued commitment this nation has
to Nevada's veterans," said Mansfield. "The new Regional Office
building will be a first-class, 21st century facility where veterans and
their families can come for assistance in obtaining the benefits they
have earned in service to our country."
The new facility will house approximately 60 VA employees, as well as
employees of the Nevada Office of Veteran Services, veterans service
organizations including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American
Veterans, AMVETS and American Ex-POWs.
This project is part of a VA pilot program to build VA facilities that
are high-performance inside and out, more energy- and cost-efficient,
more environmentally friendly and more comfortable for the people who
will occupy them. It will be certified by the Department of Energy's
U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design (LEED) facility, making it the first federal office building in
Nevada that is LEED certified.
SDA, Inc., of Greenwood Village, Colo., was awarded the $8.5 million
construction contract in October 2005, and it is estimated the project
will infuse approximately $3.5 million into the local economy through
local contracting. VA will lease the 35,000 square foot facility from
the General Services Administration.
The Reno VA Regional Office serves 238,000 veterans in the state of
Nevada and 7,000 veterans in four northeastern California counties. It
is one of 57 regional offices nationwide that provide financial and
other forms of assistance to veterans, their dependents and survivors.
Major benefits include veterans' disability compensation and pension,
survivors' benefits, vocational rehabilitation and employment
assistance, educational assistance, home loan guaranties and life
insurance coverage.