Veterans Home marks 10-year anniversary

By Lori EhdeOn Jan. 24, 1994, the Minnesota Veterans Home, Luverne, welcomed its first two residents.That day marked the culmination of a three-year legislative effort to locate the state facility in Luverne and another two-year construction period after Luverne was selected early in 1991.Jan. 24 also marked the start of an unrivaled economic development era in Luverne.The Veterans Home currently employs 170 people with an annual payroll of nearly $5.3 million.As of this week, 85 veterans reside at the facility, which charts an average waiting list of 50 to 60 people.The facility remains at the center of social and volunteer activity in the community, with more than 90,000 volunteer hours logged since it opened and more than $729,000 donated funds to date.On Sunday, Jan. 25, an open house will commemorate the Veterans Home 10-year anniversary in Luverne. The open house is from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and a short program is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.Sen. Jim Vickerman, who was instrumental in the state’s process of selecting Luverne for the facility, will speak at Sunday’s open house. ‘Cadillac of all veterans homes’"I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked at it," he recalled Tuesday. "What a wonderful place. All I wanted was a veterans home, but this was a Cadillac of all veterans homes."His legislative district at the time didn’t include Luverne. Windom, whose citizens he did represent, was on the list of communities vying to be chosen.But as a member of the state Veterans Affairs Committee, Vickerman’s primary role in the process back then was to represent all Minnesota veterans."We needed a veterans home in southwest Minnesota, and they were telling me they wanted it in Luverne," he said.In the end, several factors influenced the decision to put the home in Luverne.
The city was able to provide $2.25 million in matching construction costs — about a third of the total construction project. In addition, the city purchased 40 acres of land on that end of town, donating land for veterans home campus and developing the rest for housing.
Luverne had what the site selection committee viewed as an impressive supporting medical campus.
Its close proximity to the VA hospital in Sioux Falls also had bearing on the decision.The right choiceSeeing how the facility thrived in the years to follow, Vickerman said Luverne clearly was the right choice."You gotta give credit to the city and community for building homes around it," Vickerman said. "It’s not just a nursing home out there all by itself."Former Luverne Mayor Bill Weber was on the city council at the time site selection for the facility was underway. He had been elected mayor by the time it opened."That was the event that opened development on that end of town," Weber said. "And it was the single biggest reason for housing growth — something Luverne needed at that time. Up until that time, housing development had been stagnant."Weber refers to that period as an exciting time for economic development in Luverne."On the heels of that, we were able to survive the closing of our largest employer, IBP, and have another employer come in in a year," he said. "I think these are phenomenal events for a community of our size."Group effortLooking back on life in Luverne before the veterans home, what stands out in Weber’s mind was the cooperative effort of local government officials and legislators from both political parties."I think it’s important for people to remember that," he said. "We all rolled up our sleeves to get it done. It wasn’t a question about who was going to get credit."Specifically, he said Ben Vander Kooi and Steve Perkins spent a great deal of time in St. Paul, making a case for Luverne as the veterans home site.Vander Kooi will emcee the event Sunday, and Perkins is on the list of individuals to be honored that day.