Some nearby residents are confused.
They know that state officials broke ground in November for a veterans nursing home at the northeast corner of Southampton Road and Roosevelt Boulevard.
Yet, motorists driving by the intersection see no equipment or manpower.
The office of state Rep. George Kenney (R-170th dist.) has fielded numerous calls from people asking when construction will begin.
"People truly believe this isn't happening," Kenney said. "They see the signs on the Boulevard and think the home will be right there."
In fact, construction crews have been hard at work since late last fall. The contractors and architects finalized details while workers knocked down old trees and dug holes in preparation for construction.
The first beam was erected in March, and work has continued as scheduled through the spring and summer.
The reason folks can't see the work in progress is because the building is being constructed 450 feet from Roosevelt Boulevard and a similar distance from Southampton Road.
Moreover, trees block the view from both thoroughfares.
Last week, state officials and members of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee toured the site.
They learned that work will be completed by April 2002, and that the home will open in May or June.
The state-operated home will be the sixth for veterans in Pennsylvania.
The state's other homes are in Erie, Pittsburgh, Scranton, the Altoona area and Spring City, Chester County. A seventh home is being considered.
Once the local site opens, there will be a veterans home within 90 miles of every resident of Pennsylvania.
"This is a dream come true for a lot of people," said Bill Lynch, an official with the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
One of those people is Vince Malatesta, president of Veterans for a Delaware Valley Nursing Home.
Malatesta's group has waited 20 years for the home, meeting every month for two decades at the Bustleton Memorial American Legion Post 810 on Old Newtown Road.
The first bit of good news came on Dec. 7, 1994 -- the 53rd anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor -- when then-Gov. Bob Casey donated the approximate 20 acres of ground for the home.
But it took almost eight years for Casey, who was scheduled to leave the governor's office the following month, to grant the veterans' wish.
Casey's successor, Tom Ridge, released state funding for the project. Finally, in late 1998, the federal government approved the home for funding.
Officials spent two years conducting the bidding process and finalizing other details before work began.
Satisfied that the project is becoming a reality, Malatesta now hopes the finished product has all the amenities for the veterans.
"They put their lives on the line. The nursing home should be as pleasant as possible," said Malatesta, who served in the Navy amphibious forces in World War II from 1942 to '45.
Paul Cain, the DMVA's deputy director of state veterans homes, assured Malatesta and state House members that the $21 million facility would be top-notch.
HEAD FOR THE PARK
The entrance and exit will be on Southampton Road. Motorists will also be able to enter the adjacent Benjamin Rush State Park from the same driveway. The existing park entrance on Roosevelt Boulevard will be closed.
In all, there will be 170 beds in the home -- 100 for nursing care, 40 for personal care and 30 for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Pharmaceutical care and physical therapy will be available.
Most of the 106,000-square-foot facility will be on one floor, though there will be a second floor with 50 nursing care beds.
The two-tone brick building will include a chapel, a covered porch, courtyards, an activities room, multipurpose rooms, lounges, dining areas and plenty of landscaping and natural lighting.
Noise shouldn't be a problem, since the home will be set so far from the intersection of Southampton and the Boulevard.
Officials believe that the veterans will like their new surroundings.
"The idea is that this is their home. We want to provide all the amenities of home so they can be as comfortable as possible," Cain said. "It's going to be beautiful."
Cain said he wants the nursing home to be part of the community. To that end, most of the rooms will face the park.
The state will spend $1.5 million to improve the 275-acre park. Preliminary plans call for adding a walking path, gardens and an area for model airplane enthusiasts.
THE NEED IS THERE
There are as many as 300,000 veterans in the Delaware Valley, so officials think they'll have no trouble filling the beds.
Officials will soon open an office in the nearby Pennsylvania National Guard Armory, and the application process will begin thereafter.
Top priority will be given to local veterans who are living in an existing nursing home out of the area. To be eligible, a person must be an honorably discharged veteran and a Pennsylvania resident. The fee has not been set, but it will be based on an individual's ability to pay.
Unlike federal Veterans Administration nursing homes, the state facilities will allow spouses to live there.
"She put up with him being away, and it's only fair that she be rewarded for her service," Cain said.
Kenney's colleagues on the House committee liked what they saw. Chairman Paul Semmel was joined at the site by Reps. Tom Corrigan, Allan Egolf, Tom Michlovic and Tim Solobay.
Kenney thinks the nursing home, the park and the surrounding green space will complement one another nicely.
Most importantly, the veterans who have spent 20 years pushing for construction of a nursing home are close to seeing their dream realized.
"They've waited so long and now they know it's going to be a reality," Kenney said.