RUMFORD — Although an injunction by Estherhill Boat Corp. is still in
federal court awaiting a decision, plans for relocating the local
veterans’ clinic to the River Valley Crossing Shopping Center are
moving ahead.

Keith Waye, chief contractor for the Togus Veterans Administration
Medical Center, said Monday afternoon that the Veterans Administration
believes its decision to award the contract to Federated Realty Five
LLC, owners of the shopping center, is strong enough to go ahead.

“The General Accounting Office sided with us in October,” Waye said. “We’re moving ahead until told otherwise.”

Estherhill Boat Corp., out of New Hampshire, leases space for the
Rumford Veterans’ Clinic at a site on Franklin Street where it has been
for the past several years.

A decision was made several months ago to move the clinic to a space
that was all on one floor, and that provided abundant parking, two
things that aren’t available at the Franklin Street site. Also, Waye
said the relative ease required to renovate the 8,000-square-foot
former supermarket space was also important in the decision to relocate
there. The new site is about 2,000-square-feet larger than the Franklin
Street site.

Three bids were submitted, including one by Estherhill.

Togus VA Medical Center Assistant Director Ryan Lilly said last month
that he believed a decision would be made on the injunction by the
federal court by the end of 2009. Now, Waye said, it’s up to the
discretion of the court.

Tentative plans are to move into the Route 2 site by March 1.

Jonathan Rauch, spokesman for Federated Realty Five LLC out of
Boston, said last month that his company has a signed five-year lease
with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with the option to
continue with five, one-year increments.

The local clinic serves hundreds of veterans from the River Valley and surrounding areas.

Attempts to reach Robert Every, spokesman for Estherhill, were unsuccessful.

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