Vision for veterans heroes hall takes shape
A concepual renering of the Veterans Hero Hall.
Which words come to your mind when you think about our veterans? Maybe gratitude, honor or sacrifice? It is hard to describe the gift veterans give us. In Douglas County, there are nearly 20,000 veterans and more than 300,000 in Colorado.
“In many communities, a veterans’ meeting place, sometimes called a ‘Veterans Hall’ or ‘Post’ is a focal point for the entire community,” said Douglas County Commissioner George Teal, an Army veteran. With that vision in mind, Commissioner Teal met Mike McNairy, Commander of the American Legion Post 1187 in Castle Rock, who had a similar idea. Together, they worked to identify vacant space, landing on an undeveloped parcel at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. The concept was presented to the Board of Douglas County Commissioners and ultimately included in the first draft of a new Fairgrounds Master Plan.
With their shared vision – and now a place to make it come to life – Teal and McNairy engaged the Douglas County’s Veterans Service Office (VSO) and the leadership of other veteran-focused organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Douglas County Veterans Monument Foundation (VMF), to create Heroes Hall Foundation, dedicated to building what will be called: the Douglas County Heroes Hall.
“The role of Heroes Hall Foundation is to establish and sustain this new place – Heroes Hall – for our local veteran population and their families to meet and enjoy the comradery they once experienced on active duty. It allows veterans to pursue community engagement and advocate for veteran causes,” said McNairy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Heroes Hall Foundation.
The new Heroes Hall will be a central gathering place for veterans and a one-stop-shop for their needs, including offices for the VSO and the founding organizations – the American Legion, VFW and VMF. There will also be event space and a conference center in the 14,000-square-foot building and 7,000-square-foot basement.
The Heroes Hall is estimated to cost $15 million to build, primarily funded through private donations. A fundraising campaign will kick off at Douglas County’s Veteran’s Day ceremony on Saturday, November 9. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Monument Plaza, 301 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock.
For more information, visit douglas.co.us and search “Heroes Hall.”
Information and photo provided by Douglas County
