DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — The Delano American Legion Post is reaching its 100th anniversary and with a historic building, many renovations are set to be scheduled. 23ABC's Ruby Rivera spoke with the Southwest Carpenters Union about their most recent project.
The Delano American Legion Post has acted as a community gathering spot for almost 100 years. Geared mostly toward the veteran community, legion officials say they’re trying to include more people from the community. But in order to do that, renovations are scheduled to give this historic building a new look.
“It's very important to me that the success of the place is based in the community and not just for veterans. Although it is a veterans post I want it to be a community organization as much as anything else,” said Casey Rhodes, the financial officer at the Delano American Legion Post.
Rhodes says it's this principle of community partnership that geared him into asking for local help in these renovations.
The legion’s rebuilding efforts were coordinated by Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains who says when she got the call about the issue, she knew she had to find an immediate solution. Bains says she reached out to the Southwest Carpenters Union, unsure of their response considering their ongoing efforts in Pond but was pleasantly surprised.
“They stepped up right away. I'm super, super grateful for their work. All these people are out here today on their time off, volunteering their time to help rebuild a very important and historical building.” Said Bains.
Bains says the goal of the project is to give the bathrooms a complete remodel in order to better accommodate the veterans that struggle with mobility issues.
President of Carpenters Local Union 743 Josh Taylor says there are six carpenters on-site specialized in flooring, framing, trim, and drywall. Taylor says the construction work should only take about two days.
“We are currently widening the doors in the restrooms behind me and putting some new flooring in so the members of the legion have an opportunity to get in and out safely.”
Rhodes says this isn’t the first time the Southwest Carpenters Union has assisted in their remodels, working on the exterior of the building in the past. Rhodes says having them here is a perfect example of a community coming together.
“These folks are great because they come out and they just — they just make it happen. We don’t do anything except sit by and watch and wave. They make it happen for us and it's just great.”
The 100th year anniversary of the American Legion is in April 2024. Rhodes says the goal is to have all renovations done by then so that the building has the opportunity to benefit more people for the next hundred years.
