American Legion Post 73

(Clark County Press--Neillsville, WI)

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon. 

June 28, 2006 page 2

New Neillsville Legion Hall foundation walls, footings now in

?So far, so good,? those were the approving words heard at the site of the new Neillsville American Legion Hall and community center last Friday as Don Boon (left), president of Boon Construction of Neillsville, and project architect Doug O?Donnell, of Chili, viewed the foundation walls and footings put in earlier by concrete sub-contractor Jeff Demert Construction, of Neillsville.  On Friday, Boon construction, in charge of excavation and site work for the new facility, was in the process of hauling in loads of sand to back fill the building site to a level five inches below the top of the foundation walls.  Plumbers will soon be installing water lines and fixtures, after which the five-inch concrete floor will be poured, making the project ready for the carpentry work to begin.  The project remains on schedule for completion in early fall?hopefully by October 1^st, Legion officials are saying.

August 23, 2006

New Legion hall shaping up

The new Neillsville American Legion Hall and community center is becoming an increasingly obvious presence as its fall opening nears. 

Clearly visible to passing motorists on US Highway 10 these days, the 13,000-square-foot structure now rises up along Boon Boulevard, its exterior walls and roof all but complete.

Inside the cavernous shell, the concrete floors are expected to be poured this week with the rest of the interior work set to begin shortly thereafter.

Chairman Dewayne Seelow and the other members of the Legion?s Building Committee visit the site periodically.  They are pleased with the progress of the facility that, once completed, will give Neillsville a community center to be proud of, he said last Friday.

?We?re looking at sometime in October,? Seelow said of the anticipated opening of the new Legion Hall.

Other facets of the new facility are also falling into place.  The equipment and fixtures, including a walk-in cooler, and kitchen appliances, are all ordered and suppliers are telling him that they will be ready for installation when construction allows, said Seelow.

The Legion is also taking steps to staff the facility.  A manager will be hired.  Applications for the position are coming in, Seelow said.  Other staff members will include those who will be working in the kitchen and bar areas, he said.

As the new Legion hall project is coming together, so is the community support, Seelow noted.

There?s a community-wide realization that the old Legion hall building has served its purpose, and a change for the better is long overdue, said Rick Thoma, commander of the Neillsville American Legion Post 73.  ?Eighty to 90 percent of the town is saying that this is great that you?re doing this,? he said.

That sentiment is reflected by the donated funds coming in for the nearly $1.2 million project.  To date, $499,000 has been received in the form of cash and pledges.

Seelow agreed that the Community has really gotten behind the fundraising campaign.  ?People have been giving whatever they could, anything they can to help,? he said.

Fundraising events have also been a big boost for the new Legion Hall, according to Seelow and Thoma.

The auction of donated items at the Armory last fall brought in nearly $4,300, Seelow recalled.  Plus, Packer ticket raffles, ?mystery? dinners at the old Legion hall and smelt feeds have also been a big help, he said.

More fundraisers are being planned, including brat feeds, a golf outing and a gun show.  ?Maybe we?ll have another auction,? said Seelow.

The old Legion hall is for sale and net proceeds will also go to help pay for the new building.  There has been some interest shown in buying it, according to Seelow.

In the meantime, the four community banks have gotten behind the project, as well, approving the Legion?s business plan and cooperating in extending a loan to ensure that the facility is built.  Anyone wishing to donate may also make a deposit in a designated Legion Hall building account at any one of the banks, said Seelow.

There?s a lot of anticipation on the part of Legion Hall Building Committee members visiting the site these days.  And well there should be, according to Seelow.

?We can have events here we couldn?t hold before,? he said.

Space is the main reason, said Thoma.  The main, upstairs floor of the old Legion hall only has seating for 156 people.

The banquet hall alone in the new Legion hall will (be) able to seat 400 guests.  In addition, the new hall will have a meeting room with a capacity of 100 people and a smaller one to accommodate 30.

That will allow for double-booking events on the same day, said Thoma.  Two Christmas parties, one smaller than the other, on the same night have already been scheduled for the new hall, he said.

There will also be plenty of room outside the new hall.  The parking spaces will at least triple what is available in the old Legion hall, Thoma said.

All that room and a new handicapped accessibility, is already presenting an attractive location for a variety of uses beyond the traditional wedding receptions and anniversaries.  A gun show is scheduled at the new Legion hall in January 2007 and Whitetails Unlimited is planning an annual banquet there later in the spring, Thoma said.

November 8, 2006

New Legion Hall coming together for an early ? 2007 opening date

Construction of the new Neillsville American Legion Hall and community center continues to progress.  The exterior is complete for the most part and work is well underway on the inside. 

Last Friday, Castle Hill Drywall?s Larry Olson and Shane Peterson were finishing the area where the hoods for a convection oven are to be installed in the kitchen area.  A number of upgrades have been made in the original construction plans that, while causing the opening of the Legion Hall to be postponed until early next year, will result in an improved facility once it is done.  Some of those upgrades include the installation of a sidewalk around the perimeter of the building, an improved insulation system, additional storage area and a better sound system in the bar area, which will have a wainscoting effect and a log fa?de on the far wall.

 

Source: Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI, November 8, 2006, Page 2