OPEA

After years of work and coordination between the state and federal government, agency officials and legislators gathered to finally break ground on the addition to the Sulphur Veterans Center. 

“This facility will not only be a place for our veterans to live, but a place we can now call a home,” said Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins.  “We owe it to our heroes.”

Rep. Wes Hilliard, Senator Johnny Crutchfield, and Congressman Tom Cole all worked together to secure the funds for the addition, which will require $12.6 million in federal and $7.6 million in state funds.  The new building will house 60 veterans, plus a new facility for pharmacy, lab, physical therapy, laundry and a chapel.

“The people who know what works are the people who do the work,” said Sulphur Veterans Center Director Nancy Gallup indicating that an important part of the planning process was staff input. 

“Today we celebrate, honor and remember our veterans,” said Senator Johnnie Crutchfield.  “Without the people who take care of our veterans these buildings would not mean a flip.  We have quality caring state employees who care for our veterans.”

 “Unfortunately, the Sulphur Veterans Center is one of many dilapidated state facilities that are in serious disrepair and should be replaced,” said OPEA Policy and Research Director Trish Frazier.  “State employees are working hard to protect the public in prisons that were originally built as schools in the beginning of the last century.  Our resource centers for the developmentally disabled are old institution-model buildings that workers are trying to make as homelike as possible for the clients.  OPEA will continue to work to make state facilities better places to live and work.”