Holyoke Soldiers’ Home set for reconstruction as House approves H.3770, An Act Financing the Reconstruction of the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke
BOSTON – On Monday, Representative Steven Ultrino (D-Malden), Representative Paul Donato (D – Medford), and Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian presented a united front in support of H.3770, An Act Financing the Reconstruction of the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke, the final version of the bill which will fund for the construction of a new facility at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.
The House unanimously approved the bill , which would allocate $400 million to the design and construction of a brand-new facility for the Soldiers’ Home. The newly approved version of the legislation ensures that the construction project would feature a small home concept where veterans will have more living space and independence. The development will also include state-of-the-art technology to meet the needs of current and future veterans.
The bill also allocates an additional $200 million to improving long-term care services for veterans throughout the region, including expanding support for home- and community-based care services and the creation of regional or satellite veterans’ homes for those not served by the Chelsea or Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The final language of the approved bill also expands significantly on provisions related to minority, veteran, and women contractors hired for this project.
By requiring the submission of annual reports until the completion of the facility, the legislation ensures that the project will remain on track in terms of budgeting, costs, design, construction progress, as well as labor participation goals for minority, veteran and women contractors.
“The approval and support we received for this bill represent a major step towards healing after last year’s tragedy,” said Representative Ultrino. “From the very beginning, this has been a project about honoring our veterans and proving to their families and friends that we are ready to give them the support they need. I truly believe that this reconstruction project will be able to breathe new life into the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and give our veterans the care and attention they deserve.”
"Ensuring that our veterans have the resources they need should always be a top priority. This bill makes that clear by investing hundreds of millions of dollars in ensuring veterans across Massachusetts will have those much-needed resources for years to come,” said Representative Paul Donato. “I’m grateful to Speaker Mariano for his leadership in ensuring we took swift action to fund this project, and to my colleagues for uniting behind this impressive proposal.”
“As we pause to remember those who sacrificed their lives this Memorial Day, we think also of the more than 77 veterans who lost their lives in the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home last year during a terrible COVID-19 outbreak,” said Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D-Melrose). “Our veterans deserve safe, comfortable places to live. As such, I am honored to have voted in favor of this legislation to support the design and construction of a new soldiers’ residence.”
With this vote, H.3770 has been approved by the House for final passage. It will be sent to the Senate for final consideration before reaching the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
