Murphy Sponsors Legislation for State to Acquire Montrose VA
State Senator Terrence Murphy (R/Yorktown) has sponsored legislation calling on the state to acquire portions of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Veteran’s Affairs campus from the federal government.
The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate on June 15 and was sent to the Assembly.
“The Montrose VA Hospital is sacred ground. For many of the veterans who have lived at the facility it is the only home they have known for many years,” Murphy said. “This legislation will authorize the Commissioner of Health to acquire the portions of the site so they can be repurposed for increased medical services for veterans and other programs, such as job training, education, new skills development and services for our female veterans.”
Once known as Crugers Point Park, the land off Route 9A was optioned to the Veterans’ Administration by Westchester County Executive Herbert Gerlach on February 13, 1945 for construction of the first veterans’ facility in the nation. The land was deeded for veterans’ services and today also hosts the New York State Veteran’s Home at Montrose.
In recent years, many services at the facility have been moved to other locations and some buildings have fallen into disrepair. Local officials have also been fighting rumors of the land being sold for development by private investors.
“We cannot ask those who have given so much to all of us to travel long distances for these services just to construct luxury condominiums,” Murphy said. “This land should continue to be used for veteran’s services. We are the land of the free because of the brave and we should not be sacrificing the care of our local heroes so the federal government can make a profit on land development.”
Meanwhile, Murphy sponsored a second bill called “New York’s Own Combat Veterans Healthcare Choice Program Act,” which would create healthcare savings accounts for New York resident combat veterans.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/