COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — A long-planned veterans’ home to be built along Highway 90 and run by the state Department of Mental Health has hit a funding snag that delays its construction indefinitely.
On Wednesday, the Joint Bond Review Committee in Columbia approved a design extension for the $90 million project, with an “unknown” date for when work on it might begin.
The reason, according to state budget documents, is a recent decision by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to drop the project’s funding priority from 31 in April 2022 to 71 as of Jan. 24.
A state Department of Mental Health spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a News13 email asking for more information about the fate of Horry County’s facility.
But on Tuesday, Horry County Veterans’ Affairs director Ronald Elvis Jr. told News13 he’s confident the shelter is coming, but is discouraged at its lower ranking.
He said priority numbers change all the time and if some that are higher on the list get postponed due to weather or other circumstances, Horry County’s could be reprioritized.