The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center sits on an approximately 75-acre campus in Dublin. The hospital is named after Georgia’s longest serving member of Congress and first opened its doors in 1948. A Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) conducted by the Veterans Administration identified significant deficiencies in the campus’ electric utility and HVAC systems. To correct the FCA deficiencies, The Department of Veterans Affairs’ mandated facility improvements to the VA Hospital, including:

• The construction of a new electrical equipment switch yard,
• The construction of a new chiller plant expansion,
• The construction of a new cooling tower, and
• The installation of a new electrical duct bank.

As a part of the proposed improvements, eleven of the facility’s structures required surveying for asbestos-containing materials (ACM) and lead-containing paint (LCP). Under the requirements of Georgia’s Asbestos Rule Chapter 391-3-1 and the Georgia Lead-Based Paint Hazard Management Rule Chapter 391-3-24, the ACM and LCP surveys were performed by an EPA/AHERA and an EPA Lead-accredited inspector.

Project Highlights:

• As an active medical services facility, clinical areas were off-limits, and the survey sampling had to be performed discretely so as not to disturb patients. Coordinating with the VA Medical Center’s Engineering staff for directed guidance, the field survey of the eleven buildings was completed within one week following mobilization.