The construction of a new state veterans’ home in Cleveland, Tennessee, was a labor of love for contractors, especially since at least 26 of the project’s workers are veterans themselves.
It’s been a little over a year since the 130,000-square-foot facility opened its doors to 108 veterans from across the state; the official opening of Cleveland Tennessee State Veterans’ Home took many years and a lot of commitment to come to fruition.
The initial project was proposed in 2003 and was approved by the state of Tennessee in 2016. Then, it would take another seven years to complete, due to various project changes and obstacles, including the COVID-19 pandemic. This delay posed challenges for general contractor The Christman Company as the team delivered a project they had planned eight years prior.
Nick Lawrence, a vice president at The Christman Company after serving as a project executive, said the team was committed to creating a beautiful, lodge-inspired facility as an act of service for the veterans this new home would serve.
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“Two military veterans were on the leadership team for Christman, and at least 24 tradesmen were veterans as well,” Lawrence said. “They really had an attitude of perseverance and were committed to delivering a high-quality project for the veterans who would eventually call it home.”
Lawrence said contractors had to overcome multiple challenges as plans for the project changed and costs increased over the years. The team bid on the job prior to state approval in 2015 and it took four years to start breaking ground.
Then, there were progress delays as the team solved issues like unsuitable soil, ground pipes that had to be relocated and drainage problems from an adjacent property. Lawrence said Christman also had to manage the endeavor during the peak of the pandemic.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declared construction to be an essential service so work could continue. Still Lawrence said Christman took extra steps to keep its workers safe, from bringing extra facilities with running water onto the jobsite for handwashing to resequencing so teams could work separately across the four residential buildings on the campus. Christman even had the foreman of each team check-in via a QR code system each morning.
Lawrence said the company leveraged a lot of its longstanding relationships and outstanding procurement efforts to keep subcontractors going and overcome the supply chain issues that had affected construction globally. He said it was tough, but the team is proud of the project.
The $47 million facility has six distinct but connected communities, and each is represented by an animal native to the area including a bear, fox, hawk and raccoon. The animals help patients orient themselves and add to the lodge theme for the facility, which also includes a state-of-the-art therapy gym and courtyards with country views.
Designed to feel like a small town, the veterans’ home has a post office, bank, barbershop, beauty salon, library and chapel. It also pays tribute to heroes with an honor wall honoring the 32 Tennessee servicemembers who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
The state veterans’ home in Cleveland is the third veterans home the Christman team has built across the state. The Christman Company also recently built two veterans’ homes in Michigan.
Lawrence says the team is always driven to do great work, but when it comes to veterans, there is an added incentive to deliver a fantastic project, especially with its own dedicated veterans committed to the job.