PRESTON, Minn. 鈥� The newly constructed Preston Veterans Home welcomed its first four residents on Wednesday, Jan. 3, bringing to an end the decade-long process of establishing a skilled nursing facility for veterans in Southeast Minnesota.
"The goal is to have 20 residents by Jan. 20, and then that puts us in a 30-day window to get our VA (Veterans Affairs) certification survey done," said Dave Dunn, the home's director. "Once that is completed, then we can start admitting the rest of the residents so we can get to our full capacity of 54."
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One of the first people to move in was Walter Hanson, a Korean War veteran and longtime Preston resident. He arrived at the Preston Veterans Home on his 91st birthday, making the experience even more significant.
"The atmosphere the last couple of days, but especially this morning, it's just been phenomenal," Dunn said.
The skilled nursing facility for U.S. military veterans is organized into three residential neighborhoods named after Olmsted, Mower and Fillmore counties. Each neighborhood features 18 resident rooms that are connected to a common dining area. Other spaces include a physical rehabilitation gym, a dental clinic room and a beauty/barber salon.
"We have a meditation room," Dunn added. "We have a private family dining room that residents and their families can gather (for) special events."
Locally sourced art is displayed throughout the building, including in the multipurpose room, where a grid of 140 ceramic squares adorn one of its walls. A Fillmore Central Elementary 歪歪漫画 art class carved and glazed those squares after hearing stories from veterans who visited the class, said Gabby Kinneberg, public relations and volunteer coordinator for the Preston Veterans Home.
"It's been a highlight of our facility so far," she said.
The veterans home currently employs about 70 people, Kinneberg said, and a few positions are still open. The total number of employees is expected to grow to 120 when the facility is operating at full capacity.
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"We'll have, definitely, a lot of volunteer opportunities where people can come and volunteer to do activities with the veterans, help us with some special events, things like that," she said. "We have a really healthy list, already, of volunteers who have expressed interest, which is great."
The anticipated economic and community development for Fillmore County due to this project has, in recent years,
"I don't know if we know the full magnitude quite yet," Kinneberg said of the home's economic impact. "But I think it's here, and now I think the community and surrounding communities are really going to see what that looks like."
Construction on the Preston Veterans Home after several years of advocacy and lobbying for state and federal funding for its creation. It's the first of three new skilled nursing facilities for veterans to open its doors; later this year, homes in Bemidji and Montevideo will start accepting residents, according to a press release from Gov. Tim Walz's office.
"We are proud to open the doors of Minnesota鈥檚 newest veterans home in Preston, expanding services and increasing quality of life for our veterans in southeastern Minnesota,鈥� Walz said in a statement. 鈥淲e have a responsibility to ensure Minnesota鈥檚 aging veterans receive the care and services they need.鈥�
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