The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is once again accepting bids on building a new veterans health center in Butler County.

Center Township officials said four locations are in consideration for the new center, each with different developers.

The center would replace the main building on the VA Butler Healthcare campus on New Castle Road.

Here are details on those locations.

Butler Township

Cedarwood Development and Gilbane Development, both of Akron, Ohio, are working together on a plan for the center to be built on a property along Lions Road in Butler Township.

Randy Hake, the vice president of commercial development with Cedarwood, said he was told by the VA on Sept. 30 that bids for the project were once again open.

Hake said his development team has strong interest in getting the health center contract.

The residential property is owned by David Bocci and spans Butler and Center townships.

Hake said the Bocci property is about 50 acres and is adjacent to the Route 356 and Route 422 interchange.

“A development there would mean great growth for the entire northern side of the township,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity.”

Cedarwood recently broke ground for a Holiday Inn Express hotel in the Butler Commons/Butler Crossing complex in Butler Township.

Hake said he has spoken with the Bocci family and they are interested in the development. They could not be reached for comment.

Hake said the building on the Boccie property would be about 170,000 square feet, but he did not comment on its cost.

He said he isn’t sure how long it will take for a developer to be chosen, but they have to wait for the federal government shutdown to end to resume talks with the VA.

Hake said he did not know if there is a limit on the number of developers being considered for the project.

Center Township

Center Township supervisors met with a representative from Cambridge Developments, a Virginia-based developer, on Monday to discuss information on whether the township would be interested in the center.

The proposed location in Center Township would be on North Duffy Road, just north of the township’s southern border.

That property is more than 100 acres of farmland owned by Dale Herold.

He said the developer for his property was contacted by the VA within the past two weeks.

Herold said he couldn’t comment on the details, but he hopes to be a part of the development.

“It’s still in the early stages of the whole process,” he said.

Supervisor Kenneth Frenchak said Herold’s property borders a portion of the Boccie property.

Frenchak and his fellow supervisors voted Wednesday to support the potential development in the township.

Franklin Township

Another site in consideration is the Mount Chestnut Golf Course at the intersection of North Road and Route 422 in Franklin Township.

That property is owned by Wade and Doug Orloski.

The father and son bought the property in August from Wade’s father, Jake Orloski.

Jake Orloski confirmed that his son, who lives in Tennessee, has been contacted by a Texas-based developer and was told there is interest in the property as a site for the health care center.

Wade Orloski declined to comment on the development.

Franklin Township supervisor Herman Bauer said the township heard recently from a developer that the VA is accepting bids on the project.

“The developer said the VA came back to previous bidders,” Bauer said.

Bauer said the golf course was in consideration a couple years ago during the first wave of bids. He estimated the size of the property to be 25 to 30 acres.

“What they thought was helpful with this land was that the developer would be able to make the building one story,” Bauer said. “And it would have plenty of room for a parking lot.”

Bauer said he thinks the township officials would be interested in working with the developer to bring the center there.

“I think it would spur development,” he said. “We’d have to see how they manage the highway entrance, but we’d be willing to listen.”

Butler Township

The fourth location is the 21-acre Deshon Woods site where work already had begun on a health care center.

However, the VA canceled its contract with the developer of that project, Westar Development of Aurora, Ohio, accusing the developer of making false and misleading representations during the lease process.

Under the canceled $75 million contract, Westar would have erected a three-story, 168,000-square-foot building.

A groundbreaking for the project was in June before the troubles with Westar arose.

Westar’s senior vice president, Robert Berryhill, was indicted on charges of stealing money from two firms while serving as the senior vice president at another company. He has since been sentenced to up to six years and four months in federal prison.

The property is owned by VA Butler Partners in care of Westar Development.

Richard Bowen, a consultant to the owner who is with Fine Lines Development Services in Wexford, said he does not know if the owner has heard anything from the VA.

However, he did say the land still has all of its permits and is ready to be developed should the VA choose the site.

“I think that’s where they should build it,” he said.

It is not known whether Westar would still be eligible for the bid, or if the VA would require another developer to buy the land before using the site.

John Gennaro, the director of VA Butler Healthcare, said on Thursday there was no update on the situation and declined further comment.

A public relations spokesman for the VA was not available for comment.