The North Dakota Veterans Home is seeking an additional $13.3 million in state and federal funds to complete its new building in Lisbon after its design was changed last year, raising its cost.

Mark Johnson, the administrator of the Veterans Home, told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday that a construction bid for the building completed in October suggested a higher cost for the project.

The building was slated to cost $21.1 million when the Legislature agreed to fund the project with the help of federal funds from the Veterans Administration in 2007.

The project will go out to bid later this month and could return with lower construction costs in light of the sluggish economy, Johnson said.

The changes to the building design stem from the VA, which urged Veterans Home officials to adopt a "greenhouse" design that features 142 single rooms and areas to socialize.

"The VA has been going through this process of transformation for a while," said VA architect Dennis Hancher of the new design for veterans homes. "And when (the North Dakota) project was started, there was a different criteria, and when the project moved along, the criteria was changed."

Senators grilled Johnson about the change in design resulting in the building's higher cost, with some questioning if other changes would come before the building is completed in mid-2010.

"This is what (the VA) recommended, they wanted to us go in this direction," Johnson said, adding that because the new Veterans Home adopted the new design, the VA has made it a priority to fund.

"When we came in last session, our project was slated at No. 10 to be funded. We have now moved to No. 2," he said.

Sen. Bill Bowman, R-Bowman, asked Johnson: "What's going to be the next surprise?"

Johnson said, to his knowledge, there won't be any further changes made to the building.

The legislation must be passed before March 1 in order to obtain a federal match for the building, Johnson said.

The bill is SB2025.

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@;bismarcktribune.com.)