WACO (April 17, 2009)—A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled Friday morning for a $9.8 million renovation project at the Waco VA Hospital for the Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans.

In the event of rain, which is likely Friday, the ceremony will be held in Stracke Auditorium in Building 6 on the VA campus.

Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who both played key roles in convincing the Department of Veterans Affairs to reject a recommendation to close the hospital, will be the keynote speakers during the ceremony, which begins at 9:45 a.m. outside of Building 93.

Congress created the Center of Excellence in Waco in 2006 to research and treat the mental health problems of returning war veterans and their families.

The center is expected to grow from 24 employees to as many as 75 in the next few years.

It already has more than $12.2 million in research projects.

The center is temporarily housed in Building 7, which provides 5,000 square feet of space.

When renovations of Building 93 are completed in 2011, the center will expand to three floors and will have a total of 53,000 square feet of space.