Officials at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have a fresh round of proposals from developers who want to construct a new veterans health center in Butler County.

But officials say they don’t plan to award the contract until spring, and even that is considered an “expedited time frame,” according to Josephine Schuda, VA public affairs specialist.

“(The) VA must complete its internal reviews and clearances before a lease award can be made,” she said.

The $75 million project will replace the main building on the VA Butler Healthcare campus on New Castle Road.

Westar of Aurora, Ohio was one step away from construction of a new center on the former Deshon Woods property in Butler Township this summer when officials stopped all activity and parted ways with that developer.

Since then, the VA solicited new proposals from developers, which were due in November.

All four properties that originally were considered were back on the table, Schuda said.

The 21-acre Deshon Woods site, which Westar bought from Butler Township, is still in the running.

Another Butler Township property under consideration is about 50 acres adjacent to the Route 356 and Route 422 interchange along Lions Road. That is owned by David Bocci.

In Center Township, officials are considering a 100-acre farm on North Duffy Road, just north of the township’s southern border. That property is owned by Dale Herold.

And in Franklin Township, a consideration is the Mount Chestnut Golf Course at the intersection of North Road and Route 422 in Franklin Township. That is owned by Wade and Doug Orloski.

Officials at the VA are refusing to name the developers or even say how many are in the running.

However, they have made it clear that Westar, which also uses the name VA Butler Partners, is not among the candidates. That company’s contract was terminated Aug. 9 after VA officials alleged Westar made false and misleading representations during the lease process.

The new proposals will not be made public and no public hearings will be held on the matter.

“This information is procurement-sensitive,” Schuda said.

She said the criteria that will be used to select a proposal were stated in the bid solicitation as follows: “The technical award factors include the Quality of the Technical Portion of the Offer, Evidence of Capability to Perform, Operation and Maintenance Plan, and the Offerer’s Socio-Economic Status.

“Offerers are required to submit drawings, narratives and calculations that address these factors. “

Construction of the project would be done in about 31 months after the lease award.

Schuda said, “VA is committed to delivering this project as quickly as possible, while complying with all federal procurement regulations.

“Plans for the Butler Health Care Center continue to include an expansion of Butler’s outpatient services to meet increasing Veteran demand.”