Togus officials, however, say they never lost power during Monday’s storm and asked for a backup generator only as a precaution.

A group of six say that Veterans Affairs fraudulently concealed the poor work of a podiatrist at the Togus VA hospital, causing years of needless pain. They say it withheld the findings to run out the clock on their ability to file a court challenge.

The project will provide 21 cabins on the Togus campus of the state veterans’ hospital.

Maine’s congressional delegation praised the improvements Togus has made following a scathing report two years ago that found problems throughout the system.