BUTLER TWP — After the construction of a new off-campus health care center, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will close and possibly demolish the main VA building on New Castle Road. The new health care center, or HCC, will be built at the Deshon Woods site on Route 68 in the township. Kenneth Kalberer, VA Butler Healthcare’s health systems specialist, said Thursday that all of the services provided by the VA will be provided in the new center. “Therefore, once the HCC is activated, the VA will no longer need Building 1 and will pursue the standard process to decommission the space,” Kalberer said. “The process will include conducting a cultural assessment that will include consideration of historic value, an opportunity for public input, potential reuse and possible demolition.” The new center will be built by Westar Development Co. of Aurora, Ohio. Westar was awarded the construction and maintenance contract for the building, for which the company will buy property, complete construction and then lease the new facility to the VA for $124 million over a 20-year contract. The annual lease will be $6.2 million. Westar has had an option to buy the Deshon Woods from the township for $2.38 million. It is unknown how much the cemetery property is worth. Westar will build a 168,000-square-foot building to VA specifications. The three-story building will include primary care, speciality care, dental, diagnostic, laboratory, mental health, pathology, podiatry, optometry, pharmacy, physical rehabilitation, women’s health, radiology and ancillary services. It will have more than 1,300 parking spaces. Kalberer said 400 VA employees will move to the new facility when it opens.
