Construction of a long-planned North Idaho Veterans Home, in Post Falls, is expected to be completed in the fall, says Tracy Schaner, Idaho Division of Veterans Services deputy chief administrator, who’s overseeing the project.

The 83,400-square foot facility is being erected on a 7.3-acre site at 1180 Clearwater Loop, east of the Biopol Laboratory Inc. facility and the Buck Knives Inc. factory, in the Riverbend Commerce Park. The land was donated to the state by Jacklin Land Co., which operates the commerce park.

The contracting team for the $54 million project is Core Construction, of Boise, Idaho, and Headwaters Construction Co., of Victor, Idaho. The primary architect is Orcutt|Winslow, of Phoenix, working in association with Castellaw Kom Architects, of Lewiston, Idaho.

Construction began in 2020, and the Idaho Division of Veterans Services celebrated a topping-out event publicly at the site as the highest steel beam was installed in August.

The skilled-nursing facility, which will be Idaho’s fourth veterans home, will have 64 rooms in four “household” wings, each supporting 16 private resident rooms with bathrooms. Each wing will have its own den, lounge, and living area.

The wings will be connected to a community center, which will include a dining room, multipurpose common spaces, and administrative offices. The facility also will include a common food preparation area, a laundry facility, maintenance and supply areas, a covered pick-up and drop-off area and parking to accommodate 90 vehicles.

Schaner says the veteran’s home will have 82 employees.

During construction, the project underwent $4.2 million in federally funded structural and design alterations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schaner says. The modifications include infectious-control upgrades at the public entrance to allow screening of visitors and upgrades to the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system incorporating UV lighting, she adds, Schaner says. The pandemic-related modifications also include adding a staff-screening vestibule, a staff locker room, and a resident and family visitation suite that can be used during an outbreak or in times of other visitation restrictions.

Like this story?

You’ll love the rest. Subscribe today, and you’ll receive a year’s subscription to the Journal of Business, unlimited access to this website, daily business news emails, and weekly industry-specific
e-newsletters. Click here for 50% off your first year.