AMERICAN LEGION FUNDRAISING, PLANNING CONTINUES
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005 -- 11:14 AM
With ground to be broken in June, the fundraising and planning continues for the future Neillsville American Legion Post 73 building.DeWayne Seelow is the fundraising campaign co-chair. He was our guest on Viewpoint this morning. Over $80,000 has already been raised toward the $750,000 to $1-million goal.
The new building will be located in the Boon Commercial Park near the Super 8 Motel and will provide an additional 4,000 square feet and it will be handicapped accessible ? which was a main consideration in the Legion?s decision to look into a new facility.
"(At the current facility) you have to go upstairs and down. The bathrooms are so small. There is almost never enough parking," Seelow laments, "It's just not going to serve our needs anymore."
The current facility has served as the Legion?s meeting place since 1948 and it's projected that the new building should meet Legion and community needs through 2060. Seelow believes the new building will be good for the local economy.
"There's probably a backload of 18-months for a wedding," Seelow explains, "Where we are, we could do them, but with the new facility we can handle up to 400 people. It will draw people in for everybody."
To raise funds, they've turned to area service clubs and businesses, but they also hope to hear from individuals as well.
When the time comes, the current facility will be sold.
Seelow says they have selected an engineer, but not a construction company. If you?d like to help or learn more about the project, you can attend the Legion?s weekly meetings Thursday nights at 6 p.m. at the Legion or call the Legion at 743-3859.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.