SCHUMER ANNOUNCES MAJOR WIN FOR ROCHESTER AREA VETERANS: ROCHESTER’S OWN PIKE CONSTRUCTION SELECTED TO LEAD TEAM FOR OVER $140 MILLION CONTRACT TO FINALLY BEGIN CONSTRUCTION ON THE MAJOR CANANDAIGUA VA EXPANSION; PROJECT WILL BOOST ECONOMY AND BRING VETERANS THE CARE THEY DESERVE; SCHUMER LED PUSH TO SECURE OVER $140 MILLION IN FED INVESTMENT FOR CANANDAIGUA VA CAMPUS UPGRADE

Schumer Led the Charge to Secure Over $140 Million in Funding from the VA to Modernize the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center; Senator Says Selected Construction Can Finally Begin to Bring Rochester Area Veterans the Care They Need and Deserve

Schumer Says Start Of Long-Awaited Construction-Phase Of New Outpatient Clinic In Canandaigua Will Upgrade State-Of-The-Art Veteran Care & Create Local Construction Jobs

Schumer: The New VA Healthcare Facilities Is A Prescription For Improved Care For The Rochester Finger Lakes Region, Home To Nearly 70,000 Veterans

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced today, after his push, that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has selected and awarded a construction contract to a team led by Rochester–based Pike Construction to complete the $143,689,000 planned expansion and upgrade of the Canandaigua Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Campus. Pike is partnering through a Joint Venture with another contractor, PJ Dick, to undertake the project.  Schumer said today’s announcement is the culmination of years of pushing and means that work can finally begin to expand and upgrade the VA Canandaigua campus this summer. Schumer said the new facilities will better serve local veterans and their healthcare needs. Construction includes the renovation of existing facilities and construction of new buildings, including a modern three-story 84,200 square foot Outpatient Clinic in what is now an undeveloped space between Building 1 and Building 2 on the Canandaigua Campus Schumer said construction would begin this summer and would continue through to completion by 2022.

 “Our veterans have protected and defended us, and now it is our job to care for them when they come home and as they age. I was proud to fight to secure over $140 million in federal funds needed to bring this long-awaited facility upgrade to the Canandaigua VA campus. Now with the selection of Rochester’s very own Pike Construction, we can finally get shovels in the ground to build the new Canandaigua VA Outpatient clinic and other upgrades. The new expanded three-story clinic in Canandaigua will not only help boost the local economy but also provide Rochester and Finger Lakes area veterans with the care they deserve after so bravely serving our country,” said Senator Schumer. “Simply put the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, with an expanded clinic – is a prescription for better care for our Rochester and Finger Lakes area veterans.”

The VA originally announced in 2007 that it would initiate a major reconstruction project to modernize the Canandaigua VA Medical Center and provide state-of-the-art care and meet the needs of current and future veterans. This announcement came after Schumer, local veterans, and the community, in 2003-2004, convinced the VA's Capital Asset Realignment for Enhancement Services (CARES) Commission to reverse its recommendation that the VA close the Canandaigua Medical Center. To begin the redevelopment project, Schumer secured $36.58 million in FY 2010 to complete a new campus master plan.  In 2013, Schumer wrote to then VA Secretary Shinseki to include funding for the site in their budget request. In 2014, Schumer announced the VA agreed to this request and would provide the necessary $122.4 million as a part of the FY 2015 omnibus spending bill to begin the construction phase of this project.   The $122 million appropriation funds phase I scope of work and represents a substantial portion of Canandaigua VA Medical Center's estimated $300 million redevelopment plan; which includes building a new 84,200 sq. ft. three-story modern Outpatient Clinic in now undeveloped space between buildings 1 and 2 as well as upgrade utilities, access roads, parking and construction of additional state-of-the-art updates. The USACE expects construction to start in the summer of 2018.  The estimated contract completion date is December 29, 2021.   Schumer said the construction and completion of this vital project will not only bring area veterans the upgraded facilities and care they require near their homes but will also provide a significant local investment to positively impact the regional economy.