Sallisaw to get state veterans center
After 13 hours of closed-door meetings over the past month, the Oklahoma Veterans Commission has chosen the location for a new state veterans center in eastern Oklahoma.
The commission on Friday chose Sallisaw over Muskogee and Poteau as the future home of a 175-bed long-term care center that will replace one in the small southeast town of Talihina. It could be fully constructed within the next three years, Veterans Affairs officials say.
“Speaking on behalf of Sallisaw, we’re very humble and we’re very excited to be selected by the ODVA,” said City Manager Keith Skelton, referring to the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, which operates seven veterans centers in the state.
“As we stated in our proposal and our presentation, the community of Sallisaw stands ready to become their partner in the relocation of this center. Anything ODVA needs, our community will do.”
Sallisaw presented two options to the Veterans Commission last month and commissioners chose a 90-acre
plot of land on the city’s south side. The city is giving Veterans Affairs the land for free, along with $780,000 in cash incentives. The Cherokee Nation has pledged to spend $500,000 on parking and access roads at the new center.
The Veterans Commission voted 7-1 to approve Sallisaw’s proposal, with Commissioner Jerry Ball casting the lone dissenting vote. The commission, after much deliberation on how to proceed with a decision, did not vote on Muskogee and Poteau’s proposals. The commission’s expert on rules of order, Chairman Tom Richey, was on vacation in Florida.
The result was a quick and anti-climactic end to hours of waiting by representatives from the cities, who had driven from eastern Oklahoma to answer questions and hear the announcement. Instead, no questions were asked and there was no explanation of why Sallisaw won. Commissioners acknowledged afterward that the process was unorthodox but said it had accomplished the goal of choosing among three great proposals.
“I can assure you this was a very spirited debate in here,” said Doug Elliott, executive director of Veterans Affairs, who did not have a vote but took part in closed-door talks.
In April, Gov. Mary Fallin signed House Bill 3042, which allowed for closure of the Talihina Veterans Center and construction of a new longterm care facility within 90 miles of it. It granted the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority permission to generate up to $35 million in state funds for the project. The federal government provides a 65 percent match for state Veterans Affairs projects, meaning the project could cost $100 million.
The commission received proposals from six cities in late August and heard presentations from the cities’ representatives in late September. On Sept. 25, it narrowed the number of contending cities to three and, on Friday, made its final decision.
“It was not an easy decision. This whole process was not easy,” said Commissioner Lloyd Smithson after the vote.
Sallisaw, north of Poteau and southeast of Muskogee, was the smallest of the three contenders but is a growing city, its city manager told commissioners in September. Skelton touted Sallisaw’s proximity to larger Arkansas cities and its high-quality utilities.
Mayor Bob Coburn of Muskogee, by far the largest of the finalist cities, had showcased its size and its federal Veterans Affairs hospital, along with multiple other hospitals and 10 nursing homes, when he made his presentation to commissioners last month.
Poteau Mayor Jeff Shockley told the Veterans Commission at the time that many of the employees at the current Talihina Veterans Center would work at a veterans center is his city, which is 40 miles north. Choosing Poteau, he said, would provide the smoothest transition for veterans leaving Talihina.
After the meeting Friday, Shockley thanked the Veterans Commission for their efforts.
“I think you were thorough and good and I know it’s going to work out good for the veterans and that’s the ultimate goal for this process,” he said.