Groundbreaking ceremony at new Veterans Home in Holyoke

New this morning, the massive construction project gets underway today in Holyoke with the groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for the new Veterans Home in Holyoke. 22 News reporter Duncan McLean is live in Holyoke with what we can expect today and the scope of this project. Yeah Rich Saylor we're live outside the Soldiers Home here in Holyoke with groundbreaking for the new Veterans Home in Holyoke set for noon today. It's a massive moment for the veterans housed here as well as the veteran community across western Massachusetts. This new facility promises to be state-of-the-art with 234 long-term care beds in a small home configuration, giving those that will live in the facility a communal atmosphere with top-tier medical care. Those will be spread out across a 350,000 square foot building, over eight floors, and will come with a host of outdoor amenities like gardens, a greenhouse, a veterans memorial, and a pavilion. Now the design of this facility began in earnest after the tragic COVID-19 outbreak here in 2020 that claimed the lives of more than 70 veterans. They expect substantial completion of the new building by fall of 2026. They plan to demo the building behind me in winter of 2027, early that year, and hope to have the full site reconstructed with all those outdoor amenities completed sometime by summer of 2028. So a five-year timeline for this massive multi-million dollar project. Governor Maura Healey and Congressman Richard Neal will be in town for the groundbreaking set for noon today alongside other Veterans Department officials. It's sure to be a fun day here for everyone involved. Working for you live in Holyoke, Duncan McLean, 22 News.