Two Elk River and two Ramsey sites have emerged as finalists for the new veterans clinic in the northwestern suburbs.
"The VA [Veterans Affairs] said it wants to turns this around as soon as possible," said Ramsey developer Jim Deal, one of four developers asked to make presentations before the VA earlier this month.
Deal's site is near the Ramsey police station, which is close to the Ramsey Town Center, along Hwy. 10. Developers representing the city were told that a site by the Town Center parking ramp is also being considered by the VA, said Mayor Bob Ramsey.
In Elk River, developers representing sites near the Wal-mart and Menard's stores -- both near Hwy. 169 and just blocks away from Hwy. 10 -- also were asked to make presentations, said City Administrator Lori Johnson.
Lee Wiech, the VA contracting officer responsible for choosing the site, did not return calls from the Star Tribune and has said little publicly between formal media postings. Johnson and Mayor Ramsey said they have had virtually no contact with the VA and have gotten the lion's share of their information from remaining and spurned developers.
The clinic, which Wieck has said will open this year, will serve as an alternative for veterans who travel to VA hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Cloud.
Five years ago, Elk River was identified as the likely home for a new clinic. The clinic would fit comfortably in Elk River, the seat of Sherburne County -- possibly Minnesota's fastest-growing county and home to 6,000 veterans, county official say. In 2008, Rep. Michele Bachmann praised the city in a letter to a top Veterans Affairs official.
"We're anxious," Johnson said. "This would mean so much to Elk River."
