The $17 million Trinka Davis Veterans Village in Carrollton has been built, but an occupation date more specific than “this summer” has yet to be announced.

Don Levans, American Legion Post No. 143 commander, said he toured the facility last Friday and noted that all the building interior has been completed. However, he said two outdoor repairs were being made at that time. One was a leak in a decorative waterfall, which required removal of the stone to get to a liner. The other was the addition of a clear, flat surface over fieldstone near the main entrance.

“The floor under the entrance area is fieldstone, which has a rough surface,” Levans said. “Walkers can’t move on it, so they’re having to cover it with a flat, hard, clear surface so that handicapped people can negotiate it.”

Rob Kremer, spokesman for RK Redding Construction, general contractors for the project, said Tuesday that representatives of the Trinka Davis Foundation of Birmingham, Ala., will do a walk-through of the facility next week.

“They’re our clients, so they are who we report to,” Kremer said.

He said that during the walk-through, an original painting by local artist Steve Penley will be unveiled for Foundation members.

The center is being built with funds from the Foundation, which was established by Katherine “Trinka” Rynne Davis, a Carroll County business leader who wanted to provide assistance to veterans. Before the facility can be occupied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the property has to be officially turned over to the agency by the Foundation.

“We can’t move any equipment into the building until it’s donated,” said Gary Bruton, administrator.

Bruton said employees are being hired and trained at the Atlanta VA Center while work on the building is being completed.

Calls made Tuesday to the Trinka Davis Foundation had not been returned by press time.

The 73,884-square-foot facility will include a medical office and a 42-bed community living center.

The 25,000-square-foot medical office area will provide services in dental, visual, mental health and podiatry, and will host other specialties.

One specialty will be audiology services, which will include two audiology booths for controlled acoustic environment testing. The center will provide hearing tests, evaluations, hearing aid fittings and minor hearing aid repair.

The 42-bed community living center will provide veterans needing rehabilitation with private rooms in a home-like atmosphere, including kitchen, laundry areas, fitness room, celebration room and courtyard areas.

Kremer said the village is in the process of being certified as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold facility by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council was founded in 1993 as a nonprofit trade organization to promote construction with environmentally responsible materials.

Bruton said earlier this year that the Atlanta VA has identified patients enrolled in the Atlanta system who currently live within driving distance of the Carrollton facility.

“These veterans will be assigned to a patient aligned care team in Carrollton,” he said at that time. “They will not have to call anyone or make any special arrangements. We currently anticipate about 3,000 veterans may use the primary care services in Carrollton.”

Any veterans with questions about benefits or services available can call 1-800 224-4087, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to request an appointment.

Information on jobs at the Carrollton facility can be found online at www.usajobs.gov.