Photo By Patrick Adelmann | The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Southwestern Division Commander, Col. George Walter,...... read more read more
In the August heat of Texas, a group of dedicated individuals came together with a common goal – to break ground and build a Veteran Affairs healthcare center that will provide top-notch care for the brave men and women who have served their country.
From the first shovels to meet dirt, the clinic will rise from the dust of the Chihuahuan Desert near the William Beaumont Medical Center.
For only the second time in the history of the partnership between the VA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this project will be a design-build project with one contractor completing the design and then construction of the facility.
Initially announced in January 2024, the Fort Worth District contracted Clark Construction Group to develop the plans and build the new $617 million healthcare center on Fort Bliss.
“We worked very closely with the VA as a partnership,” said Sabrina Sparkman, a program manager with the Programs and Project Management Division at Fort Worth District. “We developed some efficiencies and took some lessons learned from the Tampa Bed Tower, which was the first design-build project that USACE did with the VA, and implemented them for the VA health care center on Fort Bliss.”
Sparkman has been a part of the project since 2020. Four years of planning led to the completion of the first of four design packages that will see the construction of the healthcare center from start to finish. The groundbreaking marked the ceremonial start of the site work, excavation, utilities, and test piles and the completion of the first design package. The next package will include the design for the foundations, the underground mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and some long lead time items.
To know the importance of the new health care center one only needs to look at the more than 200 people who attended the groundbreaking. Representing USACE were Brig. Gen Kirk Gibbs, the USACE deputy commanding general for military and international operations, Col. George Walter, the commander for the Southwestern Division, Rich Byrd, director of regional business for the Southwestern Division, Col. Calvin Kroeger, the commander for the Fort Worth District, as well as 15 other USACE team members.
Dignitaries included Congressman Tony Gonzales, and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, as well as senior leaders from the VA, Army Medical Command, and Clark Construction Group.
With design now well underway, construction will soon begin in earnest. Overseeing this phase of the project is Jesse Richardson, a professional engineer for the Fort Worth District, who will be the construction manager for the project.
“I’m the administrative contracting officer for the job,” said Richardson. “So, I'm responsible for administering the contract to Clark and other duties involved with stakeholder involvement. I'm the liaison for all the stakeholder groups out there, whether it be the Department of Public Works on Fort Bliss, the VA, or private utility companies in the area.”
Part of his duties include setting up a brand-new, onsite resident office to oversee the construction. The district staffed the construction office with technical experts from within USACE, outside agencies, and brought in rehired annuitants that have experience constructing hospitals. The leader of the onsite staff is Manuel Talamantes, the senior resident engineer at the Fort Worth District’s West Texas Area Office.
As the senior resident engineer on site, Talamantes will oversee the day-to-day construction operations for the 492,000 square-foot healthcare center.
Once complete, the facility will include ambulatory care, outpatient clinics, and ancillary services, as well as many other specializations.
“Ensuring that we're working with the contractor is crucial as this is a project with multiple stakeholders,” said Talamantes. “It's important that everyone's working together. This includes USACE, the stakeholders, and our construction contractor.”
With the team in place and ready to begin the building process, the engineering and construction team will work to ensure the healthcare center opens on time, scheduled for 2028, and under budget.
More than 54,000 veterans, and their families, in the El Paso and Southern New Mexico area are counting on it.
| Date Taken: | 09.05.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2024 11:26 |
| Story ID: | 480151 |
| Location: | FORT WORTH, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 150 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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