PELL CITY — Officials with the Veterans Affairs Office in Montgomery said they are committed to the construction of the new veterans home, but federal funding for the project is not available this year.

“Soon as we get the paper saying funds are in the mail, we’ll have a groundbreaking,” Clyde Marsh, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, told members of the Pell City Rotary Club Tuesday.

Marsh said only about $100 million was allotted by Congress for VA priority list projects, which total $400 million.

He said the funds only provided enough matching grant money for the top 38 of 157 VA priority projects. The planned veterans home in Pell City is ranked about 50th on the top priority list, he said.

“You have to have the state’s part to be placed on the priority list,” said Kimberly Justice, the veteran’s homes coordinator for the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.

Justice said Thursday the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs has $17.5 million available for the veterans home project in Pell City, which is a 35 percent match of the Federal VA Construction Grant applied for by the Alabama VA office. The federal grant would pay 65 percent of the $50 million project, or about $32.5 million.

“We can’t award a contract until we have all the funding in place,” she said.

Marsh said the VA Office is hoping federal funds will become available in 2011.

“We can’t set started (on the construction) until we have both state and federal funds in place,” Marsh said. “The good news is the project is on track.”

He said the architectural design is ready for the construction, and it’s just a matter of establishing a start date.

“We are committed to this project,” Justice said. “It’s just a matter of a start date. We’re still committed to this project and ready to go.”

Marsh said Veterans Affairs made the right choice with its selection of Pell City as the place for the new veterans home.

“In 2008, we made the only rational decision to move here,” Marsh said.

He said Pell City offers everything the VA Office was looking for.

Construction of the new VA home is expected to follow the construction of the new St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital, which broke ground Tuesday at the Jefferson State Community College Campus, near the newly constructed I-cademy.

The new veterans home is planned to be built on 27 acres across from the new hospital.

“We’re excited about coming to Pell City,” Marsh said.

VA officials say the new veterans home is a cutting edge home care facility with plenty of green space for veterans.

“The design of the home is a revolutionary concept that will offer veterans the comforts of home,” Marsh said.

Officials say the new veterans home will have a town center with a beauty/barber shop, coffee shop, chapel and a main dinning hall for residents. The town center will also have a “Hall of Honor” dedicated to the men and women who have served our nation.

Justice said the new facility will have 254 private rooms and bathrooms. She said 174 rooms are regular skilled nursing beds and 80 rooms are assisted living residences.