Grovemont Community Successful in Changing Entry
After hearing and responding to community concerns, the Department of Veterans Affairs and State of North Carolina are moving forward with plans to build a new 100-bed VA nursing home on 13 acres adjacent to the Grovemont neighborhood. This facility is a welcome addition to our community, as it will provide much-needed services for our veterans and jobs for our residents.
The original plans for the facility called for the entrance to come through the Grovemont neighborhood. A group called Grovemont Neighbors of the VA Nursing Home was formed this past May to address concerns about the impact of nursing home traffic on the quiet, residential Grovemont community. From its inception, the group emphasized that they supported and welcomed the nursing home to Grovemont. Their concern was for the safety and integrity of the community because of the anticipated large volume of traffic. The group advocated for a relocation of the facility’s entrance off nearby Lake Eden Rd. They held weekly community meetings, gathered data, enlisted the aid of elected representatives, initiated conversations with State officials, and launced a media campaign to bring the issue to the forefront.
More than 100 people attended a public meeting hosted by the State Department of Administration on June 3. At that meeting, the State representatives heard comments from the community and presented several possible options for moving the nursing home entrance. After doing further research into the options, the State officials returned for another public meeting on June 24, where they announced their proposed plan, and confirmed that funding had been obtained for a relocation of the entrance to Lake Eden Rd. Final approval from the Board of Adjustment was received July 14.
“This result is a win-win for everyone,” said Sophia Papadopoulos, president of the Grovemont Neighbors of the VA Nursing Home. “The community involvement was amazing. We’re grateful to the elected representatives who assisted us, and to the State for hearing our concerns and working to address them. We’re looking forward to welcoming the veterans to Grovemont.” For more information, please visit www.grovemontneighbors.info.
Ground was broken on the VA Nursing Home in early July.
The community works when we work together!