Lee Terry in the News :: March 27, 2010

Leo A. Daly on VA design team

Henry J. Cordes/Omaha World-Herald

Omaha architectural firm Leo A. Daly has been awarded a contract to help design the new Veterans Administration hospital in Omaha, U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., announced Friday.

President Barack Obama's 2011 budget included $56 million in planning funds for the new $560 million hospital that serves Nebraska and western Iowa.

An independent consultant said the 60-year-old facility near 42nd and Center Streets had water and sewer systems; a roof, walls and windows that needed to be replaced, insufficient parking, eight elevators in need of modernization and operating rooms that did not meet standards for size and configuration.

It also found the facility as a whole was 40 percent too small.

The VA's plan calls for a new surgical tower and inpatient facility, renovation of the existing outpatient facilities, a new parking structure, and demolition of part of the existing building.

Daly will partner on the project with NBBJ of Seattle, Wash. Both firms have previously done work for the VA.

“I am thrilled that Leo Daly will be a part of making this commitment to our veterans a reality,'' Terry said.