Lawmakers push back on Charlie Baker’s attempt to rush $400M bond bill to rebuild Holyoke Soldiers’ Home

Lawmakers are pushing back on Gov. Charlie Baker’s attempt to rush through a $400 million bond bill to rebuild the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home where 77 residents have died amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Many say they are concerned over equity for veterans who live outside the state’s two long-term care facilities.

“Are we putting all of our eggs into one basket and not serving adequately veterans in Norfolk County, Plymouth County, and throughout the commonwealth?” state Sen. Paul Feeney, co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, said during Monday’s hearing.

Administration and Finance Secretary Michael Heffernan said replacing the aging Holyoke facility “should not be thought of as a zero-sum game … that’s going to take away from resources that we would commit to veterans in other parts of the state.”

Baker filed a bill in February, urging lawmakers to “act quickly” and vote on the legislation by April 1 in order to qualify for a 65% federal matching grant from the federal Veterans Administration.

It’s a timeline Committee Co-chair Rep. Danielle Gregoire dismissed as a “very high bar to set.”

“The governor is clearly looking for a win on this. I appreciate wanting to help the veterans, but for them to have had these plans in the works — they know how the legislative process works. They didn’t file this bill in February not knowing there were going to have to be processes through which it would move,” Gregoire told reporters after the hearing.

During Monday’s hearing, Heffernan admitted April 1 was not a “drop-dead date,” but urged quick action nonetheless.

The administration must submit an initial application for the 65% federal matching grant by April 15 and a final application by Aug. 1. The second application requires design development documents which state law dictates the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance cannot begin until the Legislature authorizes funding, according to Heffernan.

“Every day that goes by increases the risk to the short schedule and further jeopardizes their ability to complete the design development work on this timeline,” Heffernan said. “Failing to meet these strict federal deadlines would delay this project until the next grant cycle, meaning we would need to wait at least another 12 months to be able to apply again.”

Gregoire said there is “work that needs to get done” before she schedules a vote to bring the bill out of committee.

The eight-story project with a total bed count of 223 is supported by the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition.

Material from State House News Service was used in this article.

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