Dec. 1--BRATTLEBORO -- A Veterans Administration Community Based Outreach Clinic will be located in a building in the Exit 1 industrial park in Brattleboro.

The building currently houses Orthopedic Associates, the practice of John Chard and Donald Kinley, who will move to a smaller facility after the sale of their building to Gordon Bristol goes through. Bristol is the owner of Shire Town Properties.

"He had sought out this facility just to make this project happen," said Andy LaCasse, spokesman for the VA Medical Center in White River Junction. "We are very glad to be working with him."

That's the good news for area veterans, but there is bad news for veterans on the New Hampshire side of the river.

The opening of a veterans center in Keene has hit a roadblock, said LaCasse.

"We had a firm that was a very good selection and went through the bidding process," he said. "But just last month they took their name out of the hat."

That firm was the VA's "top choice," said LaCasse.

With its withdrawal, the VA will have to restart the bidding process.

The VA had hoped to hire staff and open both clinics at the same time, said LaCasse.

The building at 71 GSP Drive in Brattleboro was constructed in 1990, said Bristol, and needs renovations to make the facility the best possible for the area's veterans.

"This was a very good location because it had a clinical setting in place," said LaCasse. "Gordon is doing some

upgrades to the facility per our request."

The VA's target date to move into the building is April 1, he said, but it is not yet known when the clinic will start offering services.

The clinic will offer primary care, general physical examinations and mental health counseling. Other services might include blood drawings and prescription refills.

It may not be possible to have X-rays taken at the clinic, said LaCasse, but more than likely the VA will contract with a local hospital to have that taken care of. That may hold true for other services, he said.

"If we can't provide it, we will look to the local community," said LaCasse.

The VA will soon be hiring medical professionals to staff the new clinic, he said.

"This is a staff that is going to be dedicated to Brattleboro," said LaCasse.

Depending on utilization rates, the size of the staff might be increased over time, he said.

During today's Brattleboro Selectboard meeting, Bristol will ask the board for a $40,000 small business assistance program loan to help pay for renovations of the building.

The loan will be for five years at a 3 percent interest. Loan payments return to the assistance program to be used for future loans.

Bob Audette can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or at 802-254-2311, ext. 273.

To see more of the Brattleboro Reformer or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.reformer.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, Brattleboro Reformer, Vt.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.