It appears that the Press formed its opinion without proper due diligence on the site comparisons between the French Camp location and the University Park location.
The Press listed the VA’s desire to “own the land and build both an outpatient clinic and skilled nursing facility” as “pluses” for the French Camp location. These attributes are also available at University Park.
While the French Camp location is closer to Interstate 5, it lacks any convenient services in close proximity for the veterans, their families, or the staff working at either the clinic or skilled nursing facility.
University Park is situated in close proximity to both I-5 and Highway 99 and is also centrally located in the county. University Park has retail, food, and other service convenience facilities all within walking distance, and it has twice the amount of transit service than the French Camp site has. It is also the largest redevelopment project within San Joaquin County and represents true infill and smart growth.
The Press wrote that putting the veteran’s clinic next to the county hospital, “which is mired in red ink” and which has now been separated from the county health agency, “can only be a good thing.” Is this a “good thing” for the county hospital, or for the veterans?
Locating a veteran’s facility next to a hospital that has an uncertain future would seem like a precarious decision when compared to locating the veteran’s facility across the street from St. Joseph’s Hospital — a CHW owned facility — within miles of Dameron Hospital, and within walking distance from multiple imaging labs, physical therapy facilities, pharmacies and a host of medical doctor and dentist offices.
University Park has the proper entitlements and infrastructure in place today to accommodate the build-out of both the clinic and the skilled nursing facility. The French Camp site does not have the approvals or the infrastructure in place for even the first phase of the facility. University Park is “shovel ready.”
The Press said “it would be a bad move for the long-term health of our region to build near Stanislaus State in Stockton.” The CSU Stockton satellite campus can grow to five times its current size without needing additional building space. If it does need additional space, we can accommodate it at University Park.
In addition, CSUS is expanding their offering of allied health science-related education in Stockton, and we are in the process of planning an early college high school health academy with the County Office of Education at University Park. This will afford any student in San Joaquin County the right to focus on an education in the allied health sciences while in high school, and then look to furthering that education at CSUS-Stockton.
What better opportunity for both the students and the VA than to have education and medical practice working side by side? For long-term patients at the skilled nursing home who want to continue with an education at University Park, that opportunity exists onsite. At French Camp, this opportunity doesn’t exist.
Finally, while Rep. McNerney supported San Joaquin County as the location for the VA facility — and he is to be congratulated for his efforts and his success in having San Joaquin County chosen as the county in which the facility will be located — it is my understanding that he remains neutral on the final decision of the VA site selection. I have not seen or heard Re.p McNerney advocate that the French Camp location is his preferred location within the county.
If you would take the time to understand what the VA criteria for site selection is, as outlined in their RFP, and then compare the French Camp site with the University Park site, I don’t know how you will arrive at the conclusion that the French Camp site “makes for a commonsense decision.” In fact, once you understand what the criteria is and compare the sites, I can’t imagine selecting any site other than University Park. That is, if your opinion is based on good judgment and not politics.
I hope that once the Press reads the RFP and studies the facts, that it will retract your opinion and at a minimum conclude that the VA should make its selection on the site that the VA deems as the best location. It doesn’t appear to me that the Press understood the facts before writing its opinion.
• Kevin Huber is the president of Grupe Commercial Company, the developer of University Park in Stockton.
How about me?
Well, to answer your question I don't see where he has represented Tracy (unless you count the parade float). But I could be wrong.
I respect that you feel he is a nice guy, but there are more than just a few things that I don't see as legitimate reasons.
I know there are a few people living out in the county and I can see why you would still support him based on that argument, but not the foothills. And there are other people living in the county who don't live near French Camp. So that's still not an excuse to put it out where only the small minority of the people live. Of course they will be appreciative, but of that minority, there are less than 600 families living in French Camp, and anywhere from over 90 to 99% of them, or more, are not even veterans. And I respect that if it can reach only one or two it will still make a difference.
But even still, why we would the VA turn down a free offer. Are we saying it was because they wanted to pay for it? Well, I'd imagine that you could build a new rehab wing for that money. Or is it that the VA doesn't want it in "our backyard"? So then why shun the University Park offer - where it's safer and policed? That reasoning mixes like oil and water in light of the fact there are also issues related to the jail at French Camp and other issues with the area. Even coupled with the fact that the County is laying off police and cannot afford to keep both police and County DA.
Regarding the site/location selections:
You said there is some kinda pull going on at the VA? And I respect that you were right about that. Now remember that the Chrisman property in Tracy is city owned. And the article you quoted from already told us that there were developers in Tracy who (if you recall) knew up-front, this was 'need not apply', for them? Well, I guess we're saying that the VA is close minded bunch of folks who will not consider keeping their options open? If so, it's no small wonder they got stuck with French Camp?
If I were as closed minded about the South County and Stockton. I'd also have to agree with French Camp because from a congressional perspective because half of Stockton is outside the congressional voting district? So, would that be a safe distance from an adjacent congressional district and still gather enough votes? I once heard in a political science class that congressional boundary selection is called jerrymandering?
On the other hand Tracy is right in the middle of both the South County and the congressional district, but it feels like we are not even in our Congress district if you ask me? At least I had no clue we even had a Congressman until I attended the Fourth of July Parade this year. The one you wrote about. But I digress.
So anyway, I guess we have to say congratulations to French Camp! I'd imagine there are at least two or three vets living there who will appreciate this. And I want to wish Good luck to them!
And, all the best to you and yours too!
I think you deserve better.
As for McNerney, politics aside, his JOB is to lobby for the people in his District. That means standing in French Camp and calling for a new facility. And frankly, he did his job. It may not be where you or I want it to be, but it's not in Stanislaus County or Kern County or ...... (you get the idea). Does he have direct access to the folks in DC making the decisions? Yes he does! Does his input count? Yes it does, A LITTLE! But so does the input of hundreds of 'politicos' who want something for the people they represent. If San Joaquin County didn't have what the VA wanted for a site, the facility would be elsewhere and McNerney would be getting slammed for not doing his job. Instead, he used what little influence he has with the powers in DC -- along with a great 'sales pitch' about San Joaquin County -- and the rest is history.
And of course he's going to use this success as a way to bolster his career in politics and get reelected. What 'politico' wouldn't? I understand the Fourth of July parade in Tracy was filled with people running for office or those already in office, so McNerney at the festivities was to be expected. Just remember, he COULD have been in Stockton or Manteca or Livermore or any other city in his district with a Fourth of July celebration, but chose Tracy. And he probably attended at least one or two others throughout the day, but frankly I see nothing wrong with that. At least he's getting out among his constituents and pressing some flesh. He could be sitting in his office all day and attending thousand dollar fund raisers at night and never meeting those he represents or who pay his salary. For my money, I'd rather have a guy who at least TRIES to represent the average guy/gal, rather than one who represents big business, old money and vested interests. How about you? (And 'no', I'm not Jerry McNerney's campaign manager! In fact I'm a registered Independent and vote according to a person's stand on the issues, not on what political party they belong to. And speaking as a vet, McNerney's not done bad by us so far.)
USNCNC
I read the article you mentioned. It says there is property free in the county. There is also city owned property on Chrisman Road in Tracy, CA.
You say Jerry McNerney had nothing to do with the decision, but don't you recall an article where Jerry stood in French Camp and called for the Vet new facility?
Now they are spending money when they could have had it for free???
Why doesn't Jerry McNerney stand for those in Tracy and call for a Vet facility? Just interested in the Forth of July Parade in Tracy? I don't know but I thought maybe someone might want to ask.
Another really important point made in that article is the VA is planning to significantly enlarge the current VA clinic in French Camp no matter where the VA finally decides to put a brand spanking new Veteran's Home. Frankly, separating the two makes no sense to me -- an 'end user' of the facility.
Thank you badattitude49 for hearing what we 'end users' have to say about this subject.
And shutdownSerenity thanx for sharing the latest press release regarding the University Park area. It's wonderful that things are going so well there, but frankly we vets could give a 'fig' about whether or not there's an elementary school or a lake or that the Vice Mayor lives near that site. We want a facility that meets ALL our needs, not one that's someone else's idea of what meets our needs. I'm sure the University Park developer could care less about what this new facility will mean to vets and their families. He's only concerned about the government $$$$$ that will come from selling the land.
Does he think Tracy, CA is ONLY a place for the Fourth of July parade?
When was the last time you saw Jerry McNerney in a French Camp, Fourth of July Parade?
I think Jerry McNerney missed a major opportunity, but what else new?
I feel sorry for the families who have to take their vets to dreary old French Camp.
Anyway, here's the buzz about what's NEW with University Park, in Stockton.
-I guess our congressman quietly misses out again-
The CSU operation takes up about 14 percent of the campus, with much of the rest devoted to eventual development of a mix of government, businesses, nonprofits and so on that can generate revenue for the school. And there were two major recent construction projects on the south end of the parcel:
* Stockton Unified School District just opened Richard Pittman Elementary School.
* A two-story, 63,000-square-foot office building was built last year for the Valley Mountain Regional Center, a nonprofit private corporation that provides and coordinates services for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Invisible development
Mostly, though, it's what you don't see these days that makes the most striking difference more than five years after Stockton developer Fritz Grupe's company took over redevelopment of the site, dubbed University Park.
Although 18 of the original buildings - many of them historic ones with classic looks - were saved, gone are 38 institutional-looking buildings, mostly made of thick, concrete-and-steel construction worthy of war bunkers. "Those old buildings had the, you know, mental-hospital feel," Hamlett said.
The campus now has a lovely, open look, said Hamlett, who has worked there since December 2000. Plans call for quite a transition to new development within the next few years. Demolition vaporized about 480,000 square feet of, well, basically ugly space.
That will be replaced over the next few years, it is hoped, with about 500,000 square feet of office space, 50,000 to 70,000 square feet of small retail space (likely small businesses and eateries or coffee shops), and 180 condominiums or apartments. "It's the current plan, but it could change next month," said Dan Keyser, a Grupe Commercial Co. senior vice president overseeing the University Park redevelopment project.
Marketing is already in the works. Oh, and there will be an artificial lake, a longtime trademark of The Grupe Co., whose residential projects typically sport designer waterways to help add upscale flavor to developments.
Water feature
The lake, being carved out on the north end of the property, actually amounts to a big solution to a big problem that arose during development: how to handle storm-water drainage.
An artificial lake seemed a cheaper - and better-looking - solution than an ultraexpensive series of underground pipes to hold drain-off until it could be discharged into the city storm-water drainage system, Keyser said. "Aesthetically, it's a huge improvement," Keyser said.
Redevelopment also been a challenge because of an enormous amount of unknowns with an ancient property, he said. Crews found everything from underground tanks no one knew about to, earlier this year, the century-old bones of mental patients buried on the property. "It was never-ending," Keyser said. Still, he said, everything has been going well and according to plan.
One giant breath of relief is that a one-time $10 million state grant for the redevelopment appears to be ample for the renovation work, he said, adding that The Grupe Co. has invested its own money in the development as well.
Redevelopment work has included landscaping, new lighting, signage and wrought-iron perimeter fencing, as well as decommissioning an ancient central steam-heat plant and replacing that with heating and air-conditioning systems for each major usable building.
Recycling center
The redevelopment also has entailed much recycling. The building demolitions alone yielded more than 100,000 tons of concrete, which was broken up on-site into aggregate for use in University Park construction work ranging from underground utility trenches and roadbeds to under-building foundations.
"It indeed is saving money to grind it up into aggregate on site," Keyser said.
Asbestos and much wood had to be disposed of, and scrap metal was taken to recyclers. Crews even took the time to remove original tiles from roofs for reuse elsewhere, and they saved bricks as well.
About 56,000 cubic yards of excavated dirt from the lake project is being used to fill up some former basement space, to raise building foundations and pads, and to landscape. "We wanted to make this project as green as possible," Keyser said.
CSU Stanislaus-Stockton Center has more than 1,000 students this fall, and Hamlett said he doesn't think that new development to the north will detract from the feel of the Cal State Stanislaus operation. The lake will not only be great looking, he said, it also will be redolent of Cal State Stanislaus' Turlock campus, which features a large lake at the entrance and smaller bodies of water about campus.
Vice Mayor Gary Giovanetti has lived two blocks from the University Park site since 1985, and he said he's enthusiastic. "Grupe Co. was just the perfect company to take on this project," said Giovanetti, who sits on the site authority panel that oversees University Park. "Their projects always have a very high quality to them." Although he would have liked to have seen the redevelopment progress faster, he's still very pleased.
The Grupe Co. did a lot of work to clean up the old site and put in some aesthetic improvements, he said, and the city has done its part to try to clean up the surrounding neighborhood, which had been plagued with crime problems and blight.
Increased police work in the area has helped cut crime, he said, and code enforcement, paired with many new homeowners in the neighborhood, has greatly improved the area.
There are police patrols during the day in Stockton as the police station is nearby.
Tracy would be a nice home too. But not French Camp. There is no infrastructure there or approvals. No police station nearby. Just a jail.
When was the last time you walked or drove through downtown Stockton after dark? I did a few months ago and couldn't get out fast enough after I watched a number of young males "tusseling" (I didn't stick around long enough to find out what it turned into.) near a corner where I was stopped because of a traffic light.
I hope they don't plan to hire prisoners with permit to work or the inexperienced illegal immigrants for cheeaaaap labor in working with the Veterans???
Not in favor of the location.
McNerney, you knew better.... maybe not????
CN
I have no interest in this from a developer's perspective. However, if I were sick I may or may not have a car. I talked to a few vets riding the ACE train. They don't have the luxury of owning a car anymore.
usn-cmc,
You can put a dot on the map and say it is central to your own perspective, but if you put a dot on the map where it is safe and where there is transportation I could certainly get behind it. That's just based on my conversation with other less unfortunate vets.
Can you congressman do the same?
Don't know if you SERVED Average_Jo, but after 34.5 years of service and being totally disabled as a result of that service, I think my input should hold more weight than some developer or 'politico' who doesn't rely on the VA for medical care. In my opinion, the 20 minute 'direct shot' from Tracy to French Camp is a much better drive than through downtown Stockton. And what about those vets from Modesto, the Foothills and beyond who now spend hours on a bus to the VA in Livermore? French Camp is more centralized to service the larger population of vets in the Central Valley.
If this is just about safety (which I think it is NOT), the county jail in French Camp has been known to release people who walk that road on their way home.
In fact, an unfortunate event was reported there in French Camp, a few years back when someone was killed walking that road.
Is that how your Congressman wants to treat our vets?
The ACE Train had a few other trains that are currently suspended. The ACE went back to Stockton mid day.
Write your congressman and inform him of this mistake.
Appears you've never used ACE, 'cuz all morning trains go west and all afternoon trains go east. This means anyone from Tracy using ACE as a means to get to Stockton can't do so until train #4, which leaves Tracy at 5:09 p.m. and arrives in Stockton at 5:45 p.m. Train #6 departs Tracy an hour later and Train #7 an hour after that. All these times are well past closing time for clinics and offices at current VA facilities and it's a good bet that isn't gonna change at the new facility. So for those without personal vehicles, Regional Transit it still the only option and there are routes already in place to and from the VA Clinic in French Camp.
So the big issue is safety. Having been at both locations, French Camp presently offers a much safer environment than the University Park area and I don't see how that will change. It hasn't changed with all the modifications being done at St. Joseph's, which is a nice hospital with a great reputation. It's still necessary to travel through less than desirable sections of downtown Stockton to get to that facility and if the VA puts the new facility at University Park, it'll be necessary for Vets and their families to do the same. I for one have no interest in doing so and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment.
San Joaquin Regional Transit System still doesn't have bus service to that twenty million dollar Delta College in Mountain House. How will they pay for French Camp. You must be kidding us.
My understanding is the county hospital has already existed there for years and San Joaquin County cannot afford as it is. Might we have a dose of reality in this discussion thread. Instead of political slanted comments.