Marlin: VA hospital owner vows to open veterans center

Sterling VA Marlin LLC, the owner of the Marlin VA hospital says it is "not dissuaded from our goal of having a first class facility to treat and assist the men and women who put it all on the line for the rest of us."

In an email to KWTX, the attorney for the new owner of the VA hospital says: "The project is still on-going. We have all the confidence that we will be operational in the first quarter of next year. While we share in the disappointment of our Marlin neighbors that we have not been able to meet the initial, rather optimistic, August opening...a decision was made to take our time and do this project right. Our commitment to this project remains strong and bringing it into reality remains paramount."

After complaints by residents that the outside care for the VA Hospital has been abandoned by the new owners, KWTX confirmed that tall grass covers parts of the eight-building facility, stacks of dead wood are in front of one of the entrances to the hospital, and the electricity has been cut off.

Houston based Sterling Real Estate Development corporation purchased the Hospital from the State of Texas Land office in the spring.