BUTLER TWP — Frustrations and concerns about the process leading up to construction of a new VA health care facility in Center Township were aired Monday night by both residents and community leaders.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, hosted a meeting dedicated to the new center at the American Legion Post 778 in Lyndora. The meeting featured representatives from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' offices in Washington, D.C., who answered questions on topics ranging from the controversial bidding process on the new center to the future of health care coverage in the county for veterans.

Butler Township officials met with the representatives an hour earlier than the public due to a scheduling conflict.

Township manager Ed Kirkwood, who spoke on behalf of the township, asked several questions he said he had following countless hours of his own research into the VA during the past year.

Several of Kirkwood's questions were on why the VA selected the North Duffy Road site in Center Township after the Deshon Woods site in Butler Township had been determined to be the best location during the first round of bidding.

The Ohio-based developer Westar was originally set to build the new VA center on the Deshon Woods site, which is adjacent to the existing VA campus on New Castle Road. However, the bid eventually was vacated after the government found that Westar had ties to two men who had served prison terms for crimes unrelated to Westar or the Butler project.

When the project was put out to bid a second time, the VA selected Cambridge Healthcare Solutions to build the facility on a new site in Center Township, even after another developer proposed building it on the previously approved site.

“Obviously the VA chose Deshon Woods in the first round of bidding — that would lead me to believe it was the preferred site,” Kirkwood said.

VA officials from Washington, D.C., said mistakes were made that led to the issues surrounding Westar's bid.

Jessica Kaplan, director of VA's Central Office of Real Property in Washington, said the bid process has been tightened following the canceled contract with Westar.

“There are now additional steps in place to safeguard us,” she said, adding the second round of bidding included those measures.

David Cord, director at VA Butler, said Kaplan would provide a summary of those safeguards for a Jan. 7 meeting.

But Cord said the anger surrounding the project should be focused on Westar, not the VA.

“The company that caused the issues is not in the room,” he said, referencing Westar.

Cord said the VA handled the situation with the former developer the best that it could.

“Because of their hard work, we're not stuck in a contractual relationship with a crook,” he said.

Kelly said mistakes were made during the process with Westar, but said it is time to move on.

“It happened and now we're turning it around,” he said.

Kirkwood also questioned why the VA continued to move forward with a project with Westar despite being informed of an FBI investigation into one of the developer's employees before the bid was awarded.

VA officials said that issue is in litigation and declined to comment.

Moving beyond the issues with Westar, Kirkwood questioned several issues he had about why the Herold farm site in Center Township was selected, including Cambridge's filing as a small business and that the site was not along a major highway — something he said was listed as a requirement in the specifications developers were given during the bid process.

VA officials were not specific about the selection process, and said they could not release the full ratings for each site due to VA rules. However, the officials said being next to a major highway was not a requirement, only one of the things considered in the process.

“I don't believe any criteria is a requirement,” said George Szwarcman, associate executive director of the VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management. “We would never restrict ourselves in that way.”

They also maintained Cambridge properly registered as a small business.

Kirkwood said after the meeting he was not satisfied with the answers he was given, but said he was taking a step back from the situation.

“The process was flawed, and had the VA done its due diligence, we still would have our park,” he said.

Kirkwood said the Deshon Woods site will go to a sheriff's sale in February.

Many residents who attended the next public meeting had the same questions as Kirkwood, but the conversation also shifted to looking toward the future.

Many in attendance at the public meeting questioned the fate of the current campus.

VA officials said there are no plans for Building 1 on the current campus and said its fate will be determined through a regulated process.

Cord said there will be a process in place to find additional use for the building, including offering it to other federal agencies and exploring possible uses for the VA.

Cord said the services the VA offers will remain the same at the new location on North Duffy Road, but said the building's layout will offer improvements in the quality of care. He said blueprints of the building will be available at the first of the quarterly meetings on the project next year. The first meeting is expected to be 5 p.m. Jan. 7 at Building 1.

Some people questioned the development of the land around the new VA site in Center Township.

Ron Olson, engineer for Center Township, said the township is still interested in a tax-increment financing district on the about 100 acres around the VA, but said the new health care center will not be part of the district.

Olson added the TIF district will be for professional building development, meaning it will not bring in retail shops or restaurants.

Kelly said he was happy to see so many people attend the meeting, and hoped the meeting would allow people a closer look at the process.

“If only four or five people showed up, that'd be disappointing,” he said to the crowd of about 50 people.

Each of the new Butler County Commissioners also attended the meeting.