St. Paul, Minn. – Aging veterans and other eligible family members from Preston and the surrounding
region may have a new option for residential skilled nursing care by 2022. For the last few years, local
officials and veterans’ advocates have lobbied for the addition of a new Minnesota State Veterans Home
in their community. Plans are moving forward, according to officials from the Minnesota Department of
Veterans Affairs (MDVA).
Preston is one of three Minnesota cities pursuing a future Minnesota Veterans Home. The proposed
Preston location is a 15-acre bluff-top site surrounded by a 200-year-old native white oak forest. In
2018, the Minnesota Legislature allocated $10.2 million toward the cost of the project which will be
funded by a combination of federal-granted (65 percent), state-bonded and pending community provided
monies (35 percent). In March of this year, MDVA submitted an application for Federal funds
from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; that funding will not be confirmed until early 2020.
While Federal funds are not guaranteed, there is optimism among the planning team. “MDVA looks
forward to approval of our Federal funding request and breaking ground on this new Veterans Home
next year,” said Douglas Hughes, Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Healthcare, MDVA.
Representatives from MDVA, the Minnesota Department of Administration and the
architecture/engineering firms of Wold and Perkins Eastman visited Preston on May 16 to provide an
update. Local leaders were eager to learn more about the proposed Veterans Home and how their fall
2018 feedback was incorporated into the facility’s design.
The Preston Home’s design incorporates regional building materials, such as wood and stone, and is laid
out to take advantage of the views of the surrounding countryside from the bluff-top setting. The public
spaces include a Town Center featuring a small coffee shop/cafe, theater/meeting room, family dining
room, meditation room/chapel, and club room. The 54 residential units are split into three, 18-resident
“households” avoiding long institutional-feeling hallways.
“The Preston community is excited and honored to be home of the future Veterans Home,” said Preston Mayor Kurt Reicks. “The picturesque bluff-top site, the state-of-the-art facility and the exceptional care delivered will provide a well-deserved home for our Veterans. We owe it to the men and women who served our country.”
Other local officials invited to the May 16 meeting included Joe Hoffman, City Administrator, City of Preston; Jim Bakken, Public Works Director, City of Preston; Kurt Reicks, Mayor, City of Preston; Robert Maust, City Council Member, City of Preston; Charles Sparks, City Council Member, City of Preston; Cathy Enerson, Economic Development Director, City of Preston; Jason Marquardt, Veterans Service Officer, Fillmore County; Duane Bakke, Commissioner, Fillmore County; Cliff Sackett, Preston VFW and American Legion; Ron Laughlin, Preston VFW and American Legion; Becky Jones, President, Preston Chamber of Commerce; Gabby Kinneberg, Tourism Director, City of Preston; Don Brockway, American Legion; Charles Aug, Community Bank; Don Gildner, Co-Chair of the Preston Veterans Home Committee and John Szuch, local veteran.
Construction on the Veterans Home will be led by a general contractor which will strive to hire a significant percentage of sub-contractors from the local community. The new Minnesota Veterans Homes will also support the local economies long-term by offering employment opportunities to those who share the MDVA mission to care for Veterans.
For more information, visit the MDVA website at www.mn.gov/mdva/homes/futurehomes.
About MDVA
The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) is a cabinet-level state agency dedicated to serving Minnesota Veterans and their families. In addition to overseeing the five State Veterans Homes, MDVA helps eligible Veterans and families secure state and federal benefits and provides programs and services relating to higher education, benefits, burial, claims, outreach and Veterans employment. Veterans and their families are encouraged to visit www.MinnesotaVeteran.org or call 1-(888)-LinkVet for more information about benefits.