After nearly 90 years, San Marcos VFW post at risk of closing
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Next year will mark 90 years since the establishment of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in San Marcos, but there are real concerns among those who keep it running that it may not make it to that milestone.
"Without this space for veterans in San Marcos, there's not many other spaces that we can call our own, honestly," said Stephanie Brown, the post commander at the Maurice T. Suttles VFW Post 3413.
On the evening of May 9, a strong storm blew through the community, bringing with it large hail and damaging winds. Brown's husband Aaron, the post quartermaster, happened to be inside the post at the time. A theater group was using the large community space for rehearsal and he ushered them to hunker down in an interior hallway.
"They literally — and I mean literally — sat here and sang 'Kumbaya' while we rode out the worst of the storm," Aaron said, "not realizing that at the time, part of the roof was getting detached."
The wind had essentially peeled back the edge of the roof on the southern side of the metal building. Hail stones also pummeled that side of the building, leaving sizable dents, and the gusts caused the siding to buckle in spots.
Tape is currently holding down the edges of the roof now that volunteers helped the post flip back over parts of the roof. Repairs are expected to cost about $16,000, but that does not include fixing the other exterior damage.
However, the VFW post is facing another significant expense. It also needs about $140,000 to install a fire suppression system, which is now required by the City of San Marcos, and possibly another $40,000 for the electrical upgrades needed to run it.
Aaron said those costs are seemingly "insurmountable" at this time, especially when he pointed out the post typically brings in $35,000 to $40,000 each year. That money is mostly from renting out the building and opening up the space for others to use. It's come to the point where the veterans now have no choice but to do something that they say is not easy for them: asking the community for help.
"Just in the last five years I've had as quartermaster, this post has showed up whenever possible, however possible for this community," Aaron said, "but now we're asking the community to show up for us. We need your help."
How to donate
Donations are what the veterans said will make the difference to help them stick around and still serve the community. The VFW post set up an online fundraiser where people can go and contribute money to help it make the needed capital improvements.
Anyone with questions about other ways to help can send an email to the post's leaders at vfwpost3413@gmail.com.
Aaron had a message for his neighbors in the San Marcos area who might have something to give to the VFW post, which opened in the community on Dec. 5, 1935.
"What this post does, we try to help with every fiber of our being," he said. "We're now having to ask for help. We're having to ask for something that is extremely hard for us to ask. It doesn't matter what you can donate, what you can give — it's going to come back to the community. This post is part of this community. This post continues to be part of this community and will be for as long as we can keep it open."