VA leader backs house for families of injured vets

Endorsement seen as key for $6M project at Dayton VA Medical Center.

VA Secretary Robert McDonald has endorsed the future construction of a privately financed, up to $6 million Fisher House on the sprawling campus of the Dayton VA Medical Center, according to the VA and project officials.

McDonald’s backing was a key step to build the 16-bedroom house at the historic campus, officials said.

Organizers have targeted September 2017 to open the new lodging house to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Dayton VA.

The Fisher House lets family members of hospital patients stay while a veteran receives medical treatment.

“They’re going to stay in the house for free,” said Chris Stanley, area executive director of Fisher/Nightingale Houses Inc. “It’s not going to cost them anything. … Having a family close helps with the recovery.”

The proposed site for the house is along Maryland Avenue near Building 408, an office building. The preferred construction locale lies between the main patient tower and a community living center and a hospice care unit, Dayton VA spokesman Jon LaDue said Friday.

The State Historic Preservation Office has been asked to OK the tear down of two old buildings to clear the site for the new home, officials said.

Building 221, constructed in 1876, was a 4,900-square-foot residence and is now vacant. The other, Building 220, was built in 1885, and was a 7,350-square-foot hospitality house that’s now closed, according to the VA.

Two alternative sites are potentially available, Stanley said.

Randy and Vicki Gunlock of Springboro donated $1.075 million through the Greener Pastures Foundation with a challenge to raise another $500,000 from more contributors for the Dayton VA Fisher House. The Fisher House Foundation would finance the rest of the cost.

That donation put the house on a fast-track priority list for both the VA and the Fisher House Foundation, organizers have said.

Randy Gunlock is a former president of RG Properties and the developer of Austin Landing, a 142-acre retail and office complex in Miami Twp.

Much like a home, a Fisher House would have a shared kitchen, living and dining rooms and a library, among other features. Two similar homes exist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Organizers have scheduled a Monday press conference to talk about the project.

About the Author