Mike Kelly

BUTLER TWP — U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, hopes his town hall meeting on the proposed VA Butler Healthcare facility will answer questions about the project’s controversial bid process.

Kelly said he will serve as the facilitator at the Aug. 27 meeting, which will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the American Legion hall, 150 Memorial Lane.

The public will have the opportunity to ask questions about why the project was moved to its current North Duffy Road site in Center Township.

“There are a lot of questions coming from the public sector,” Kelly said about the project. “We tried to get information about the process, but never did get an answer.”

Kelly’s office is working with the VA to bring in officials involved in the bid process and representatives from Cambridge Healthcare Solutions, the developer of the North Duffy Road site.

“I think we’ll have some great, thoughtful questions,” Kelly said. “The entire process has been confusing. I think we’ll be able to walk through it.”

The 168,000-square-foot facility originally was to be built in Butler Township on the Deshon Woods property off Route 68. The property’s original developer, Westar, came under government investigation in 2013 and ultimately had its contract terminated.

After a second round of bidding in 2014, VA officials awarded the project to Cambridge, which moved the project to the Herold farm site in Center Township.

“We never did get an answer on why that happened,” Kelly said. “No one can give a clear answer on how it unwinded. I want a clear picture of what’s being done with taxpayer money.”

Oxford Development, which reached an agreement to buy the Deshon Woods property if it was awarded the bid, challenged the VA’s lease with Cambridge, but the Government Accountability Office dismissed the case after ruling the VA must repay Oxford for its costs in preparing its bid.

Oxford then filed a bid protest in Federal Claims Court on June 26, saying the government improperly handled the project’s second round of bidding.

Oxford had a list of complaints about the second round of bidding, leading with the argument of since it took over the previously awarded site, it should have received the contract.

Butler Township manager Ed Kirkwood said he will attend the meeting and has questions for VA officials.

The Center Township supervisors are aware of the meeting but don’t know much about it beyond its scheduling.

“I don’t know what the meeting will entail or what Rep. Kelly expects to get out of it,” said Ed Latuska, supervisor chairman.

Latuska said he does not think any of the township supervisors will be at the meeting.

“I have no intent on going unless we get a phone call from Cambridge asking me to go,” he said.

Latuska said Cambridge has continued to move forward in its development process.

He said the township hasn’t spoken to Kelly’s office about the project.

“We’re almost like innocent bystanders,” Latuska said of township officials. “We’ve just made sure Cambridge does everything it is supposed to do, and they have. Outside of that, we haven’t been involved in the politics of it.”

The facility is to replace many of the services offered at the VA health center on New Castle Road.