Suit could delay new VA clinic

Kern County veterans have waited patiently for the construction of a new veteran’s clinic for over 10 years, but just as momentum appears to be swinging in the project’s favor, a new lawsuit threatens to stop it in its tracks.

Filed in Kern County Superior Court in early April by Progress for Bakersfield Veterans, a limited liability company run by the owners of the existing veterans clinic on Westwind Drive, the lawsuit claims the city of Bakersfield improperly disregarded the California Environmental Quality Act when it approved construction of the new clinic in March.

The lawsuit claims the proposed location of the new clinic — near Olive and Knudsen drives — poses potential health concerns due to on-site contamination and nearby sources of air pollution. Progress for Bakersfield Veterans, which claims to represent the true interests

of local veterans, says that renovating and remodeling the existing clinic could be done cheaper and faster than building from the ground up.

“This alternative could be completed in a fraction of the time and cost, and without causing significant impacts on the environment and posing hazards to veterans,” the lawsuit says. “Using the existing VA site would also conserve natural resources and help maintain the vitality of Bakersfield’s existing commercial properties.”

But for many Kern County veterans, yet another delay may be inexplicable. Congress first authorized the construction of a new clinic in 2010, but disagreements over the proposed location caused delays. Then, in 2016, the Department of Veteran’s Affairs learned its preferred site was in the path of the High Speed Rail. Contract difficulties pushed back the project further, until this month, when the VA awarded a new contract to San-Diego developer SASD.

“I have heard from many veterans that, because it’s been delayed so many times and they’ve gotten their hopes up on so many occasions, many of them have resigned themselves to the fact that they will believe it when they see it,” said Dick Taylor, former director of the Kern County Veterans Services Department. out of the woodwork.”