Ave Maria Unlikely to be Chosen for VA Nursing Home: Naples Daily News
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- Published on Sunday, 06 July 2014 22:03
Ave Maria has just a "slim" chance of being selected as a site for a new Veterans Administration nursing home, the Naples Daily News reports.
Two other potential sites, in St. Lucie and Marion counties, were rated higher according to preliminary scoring by the VA site selection committee, the newspaper said, quoting Collier County Public Services Operations Director Amanda Townsend.
The preferred site is in St. Lucie county, Ms. Townsend said, because it has a higher number of veterans over age 65 and has "very close access to a large number of amenities" such as a new hospital, a hotel and a bus line.
Barron Collier offered to donate 20 acres of land in Ave Maria for the proposed facility and Collier County Commissioners agreed to commit $500,000 to the project if an Ave Maria site was selected.
The selection committee toured two proposed sites in Ave Maria, one near Arthrex and the other on Pope John Paul II Blvd. near Camp Keias Rd., a few weeks ago. A final recommendation will be made to Gov. Rick Scott in August, but the Naples Daily News quotes state VA spokesman as saying it would be unprecedented for a committee's recommendation to be overruled.
The Naples Daily News story can be viewed by clicking here, although the story may require a subscription to view by Monday.