Louisville V.A. Building New Water Tower Which May Be A Potential Terrorist Target! (pictures & gove

After spending a lovely day at Cox's Park here in Louisville Kentucky weilding our metal detector, my sister and I were heading home. I asked her to drive down the road a piece so I could get a picture of this new tower being constructed so close to my home. I thought it might be a cell tower, but I checked the data on cell towers and antennas, and nothing popped up for this location.

So we meander through the neighborhood, and finally find it, but we can't get a good shot of it. My sis drives us through the VA hospital, there off Zorn, and we come to a great place to get a shot, then we realized we could literally drive right up to up! I will share the pictures with you now.













The tank has not been put on yet, obviously. My sister noticed (refer to last image) that there was a guard walk, or catwalk, built into the edges, and made the comment it looked to be for a security guard. I laughed, at this time we still had no idea what this was going to be. I told her that was ridiculous, it was simply built in so maintenance workers can service whatever it is.

We get home and I lgo the VA page for the Zorn Ave VA hospital, intending to call them and inquire as to what it is being built. No need. The webpage had the answer!

VA Hospital Story

We currently maintain a 12 hour back-up water supply on the top floor of building one. This source only supplies water to the main hospital.

The new water tower, expected to be completed in October, will have a 500,000 gallon capacity and will be capable of supplying the entire Zorn Avenue campus with a sustained water supply of up to 96 hours (4 days).

This new addition to the VA's landscape will ensure uninterrupted care and service to our nation's Veterans.

Excited to have solved this mystery so soon, I went back to my sister's room to share the discovery with her.

She snorted and shook her head.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well, why are they wasting money building that water tower when they are moving the hospital anyway?"

I wondered why myself! We won't know until September if the hospital will be moving, but there are plans for a 75 million dollar new VA hospital in our city.

Story about moving the Zorn Ave hospital to another location

The Veterans Administration is considering five locations on where to build a new $75 million hospital. They include a downtown location adjacent to the medical complex, the current site on Zorn Avenue, or three locations in the outlying areas of the city.

It doesn't make much sense to build a new water tower at this location if there is the real possibility the campus will be moved in a year or so. It seems odd. This lead me to read up on water towers and V.A. hospitals and I ran across a PDF file that now has me wondering if I am living next to a terrorist target!!

Government Report Regarding Security Issues and VA Water Towers

SUBJECT:Final Report-Healthcare Inspection-Survey of Efforts to Safeguard VA Potableand Waste Water Systems-ReportNumber:03-01743-1141.

Purpose

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General's(OIG)Office of Health care Inspections conducted a survey for the Environmenta lProtection Agency (EPA) to review security over VA potable and waste water systems and the degree of VA coordination with EPA concerning those systems. The purpose of there view was to determine whether VA ,in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks,is actively andc onsistently identifying and addressing risks to VA-owned or leased water utilities or systems through vulnerability assessments,design enhancements,emergency response plans,and security improvements.

For example, one VA medical facility reported that after a 2001 risk assessment, managers determined they needed to better protect their utilities by installing intrusion alarm systems, reversed door hinges, latches and locks,surveillance cameras,lighting,and improved fencing. This VA medical facility established an "Anti-Terrorism/Security Upgrades, Utility Systems" project for 2004. Another VA medical facility was installing intrusion alarms on its water well.

Protect them from what though?? Is this really necessary?

I have never thought of the VA hospital to be a potential terrorist threat, particularly the water tower! I could not believe there was an entire report about water twoers at the VA and was even more surprised (well, not really) to see Homeland Security involved.

I don't know if there is some kind of conspiracy here, but it does not make me feel good to find out I live a few blocks away from a giant terrorist's Bulls Eye, if that report can be believed. What purpose would a terrorist have attacking a VA hospital water tower anyway? Does that even make sense? Really, you are a terrorist, and your first thought is to ruin or contaminate the water for a bunch of infirm old vets?

It makes me think about my sister's statement, that it looks like a guard walk for security with gns, like at a prison. Not so funny any longer. And why go ahead and build the big bullseye before it has been confirmed the campus will not be moved? Just how involved in our Veteran's Hospitals IS Homeland Security?

Has anyone else considered their local VA Hospitals as terrorist targets? Is this just fear mongering, the 'threat' to the water towers, just a way for Homeland Security to gain a foothold? For what purpose? The report is from 2003, I wonder if there is still a terrorist threat? Will I look up at the tower one day in the future and see an armed guard walking its perimiter? And that's a lot of money to spend on a water twoer and then a new hospital, when the one on Zorn is perfectly fine.

If nothing else, hope yall enjoyed the pictures, if anyone has any comments on this thread, feel free to share your thoughts.