CENTER TWP — The township is in consideration as the site for the new multimillion dollar VA Butler Healthcare Center.

The township supervisors met with Cambridge Development, a Virginia-based developer, on Monday to go over potential plans that could place the new health center along North Duffy Road just north of Cornell Drive near the township’s southern border with Butler Township.

“It’s the same facility they were going to consider in Deshon Woods,” Supervisor Ron Flatt said at Wednesday night’s supervisors meeting.

The Center Township site apparently is the same one that was mentioned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in January 2012 as one of three possible sites.

The other two sites mentioned in January 2012 were Deshon Woods on Route 68 in Butler Township, the current site that is in jeopardy; and the Mount Chestnut golf course in Franklin Township at the intersection of Route 422 and North Road.

The other property under consideration is owned by the Bocci family on Lions Road, spanning both Butler and Center townships.

Each of the four properties has a different developer.

The new $74 million health center was to be built along Route 68 in Butler Township until the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in August ended its lease with Westar Development, the Ohio company that was slated to build it.

Flatt said the supervisors on Monday spoke extensively with Mark Hefferin, who represents Cambridge Development, to go over potential plans for the 180,000 square-foot facility.

Supervisor Kenneth Frenchak said the company has developed VA health centers in the past.

According to Cambridge’s website, the company recently was awarded a contract to build a $150 million VA Healthcenter in Charlotte, N.C.

The supervisors on Wednesday voted to support the project if the developer wanted to proceed in the township.

“We voted to do what we reasonably can do to welcome them,” Flatt said. “We feel it would significantly change the corner of the municipality.”

Flatt said a project as big as the proposed health care center would bring a lot of additional revenue to the township.

“It’s not a government- owned facility,” he said. “It’s a government-leased facility, so they would be paying property taxes.”

Flatt also said the hospital would bring in new jobs to the township.

“Mr. Hefferin thought there was a potential for 300 jobs,” Flatt said.

But the building would also come at a cost to the township.

Flatt said the developer would want the township to pay for any infrastructure to support the building, which could include widening North Duffy Road and adding traffic signals.

“I think that it’s very possible a signal would be required,” he said. “We don’t know what all it’s going to take in terms of infrastructure, but the board wants to help them any way they can.”

Flatt said the new health care center would offer a variety of services he believes would be geared for those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“It’s not an overnight facility, but it’s a full range of services to veterans,” he said. “It’s not a duplication of services with the existing VA.”

The property is farmland belonging to Dale Herold. Flatt said Herold has more than 100 acres.

“There’s plenty of room for them to build,” he said.

Flatt also said he expects the decisions on the project to come soon.

“The late date on the contract for it was spring, but he thinks it’s going to be sooner than that,” Flatt said of Hefferin. “They’re moving on this.”

While the township was involved in talks four years ago for the facility, Flatt said he only has known of the potential for another chance at the project for a couple of weeks.

“It struck us all at once,” he said.