Leavenworth ? Thanks to a local preservationist group, more than three dozen historic buildings at a Veterans Affairs hospital campus will be redeveloped rather than demolished.

“This points out how important citizen involvement is, whatever the issue,” said Sally Hatcher, president of the Kansas Preservation Alliance and a member of the local group, Veterans Administration of Leavenworth Opportunities for Re-use. “One person or a small group of people can make a big difference.”

The Pioneer Group of Topeka will oversee the redevelopment of the 38 buildings at the Eisenhower VA campus. Ross Freeman, the group’s president, estimated the project would cost about $65 million and take three years to complete.

“It has been a long process,” said Robert M. Malone Jr., director of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System. “Government officials, historic preservation groups and businesses have come together to allow the VA to achieve its goals of using health care money for veterans, expanding the National Cemetery and saving the historic buildings using non-VA money.”

Freeman said the 72 acres on the VA campus included four parcels of land, some of which can be developed relatively quickly and others that would take longer.

The first parcel involves five residential buildings, once used as housing for doctors and nurses. The plan is for historic preservation of those homes with the goal of using them for private rental residences, Freeman said.

The second parcel involves five larger buildings that Freeman said could be preserved and used for small businesses and offices.

The other two parcels, south of the hospital, are larger buildings, such as the former mess hall. Freeman expects those to take longer and require more money to develop.