LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — The process to find a location for a larger clinic for veterans in Lafayette is officially under way.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/NeEVct) the Department of Veterans Affairs will hold a pre-bid conference for interested developers at 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the Courtyard Marriot in Lafayette.

The department wants to lease more than 29,000 square feet of space for an outpatient clinic. New construction is also an option, according to the notice.

Initial offers are due by 4 p.m. on Aug. 31.

Property scouts visited the area in the spring for a market survey of potential sites and identified four sites that met the general criteria for the clinic's development. But they may not be available.

The search for the site began in 2010 and local veterans were hopeful a deal with developers would be signed quickly. But a technical error in paperwork set the Lafayette project and selection of a new clinic site for Lake Charles back by at least a year.

Because the errors could not be corrected, the site selection process for both projects had to be restarted.

At least 24,455 square feet of space is needed for the Lake Charles clinic. The space should be ready for occupancy by March 1, 2014.

Veterans Affairs officials have said construction of the new, expanded Lafayette clinic will likely be complete by spring 2014.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com

 

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