Knoxville, Tenn., Post 2 breaks ground on what will be a 5,000-square-foot building.
A journey that started seven years ago is approaching the finish line for American Legion Post 2 in Knoxville, Tenn.
On March 15, Post 2 hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on its three-acre parcel of property that will be the site of the post’s new 5,000-square-foot facility. While it will serve as the post home, its members are planning on serving a much broader role within the community.
“The bottom line is, if we’re building a building just to be open once or twice a month, it’s a waste of time and money to build a facility,” Post 2 and Second District Commander Mike Testerman said. “It looks good, and we call it home, but if you’re not doing anything in that facility, what is it? It’s an empty building, and we don’t need another empty building sitting around.
“In our area, there’s a need for a facility like that. By members of the community coming in and saying … ‘They’re doing the right things. They’re promoting stuff for the veterans.’ We’ll have veterans’ events, there, and not just be a veteran event but open to the community. That way, the community sees us doing things for veterans and see what veterans need.”
Post 2’s previous facility was a school that had been built in the 1930s. As a result, the post was looking at spending $100,000 for necessary plumbing and electrical upgrades. There also were issues with the floor, and the post determined it didn’t make any sense to put that much money into a building that old.
So in May of 2018, Post 2 bought property with the intent of building a new facility. In May 2019. members of the post’s Legion Family built a 24x40-foot pavilion on the property, and three months later a building plan was approved.
But just seven months later, the nation shut down with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. “We had just got some really good momentum going,” Testerman said. “We had the property. We had the pavilion up. And then COVID hit, and we we’re like, ‘Oh, crap. How are we even going to meet?’ But in that same vein, it was like if we don’t meet or don’t do something, we will disappear. That was my thought.
“I said, ‘Look, we’ve got a covered place to meet. Bring your lawn chairs and let’s scatter out six feet apart and let’s meet anyway.’ We were having 30 to 40 people at our meetings by sitting outside in the yard. It surprised all of us.”
The hope is to have the building completed by Veterans Day, but Testerman said that may be pushing it. “The construction we’ve got coming out is doing it in stages,” he said. “We’ve got another group that said they’d help us with the doors and windows. We’re getting some in-kind donations coming in, so …. as things come in, we’ll get them put together. So, we’re hoping to (have it completed) at least by the end of the year.”
While Post 2 is community focused, it also wants the new building to serve its primary clientele. “By being a part of the community, the community will talk about us being there and who we are and what we’re doing,” Testerman said. “By word of mouth, you’ll get veterans coming in that may not have otherwise shown up or come by.
“We will probably have somebody manning the post three days a week, minimum, for veterans to come in, sit down and talk. Have a place to vent,” Testerman said. “Whatever they need, we’re going to have that open for them.”
Even without a facility, Post 2 has still been a big part of its community. In addition to organizing traditional veteran and military observances, it hosts an Easter egg hunt on its property that draws more than 100 children. And during the holiday season, the post’s “Mingle with Kringle” allows community members to get their picture taken with Santa Claus on the M60 tank the post has displayed on its property.
“We’ve been lucky to find this place, and things are coming together,” Testerman said. “We’ve got some good momentum going and a lot of people supporting us. Community is everything. Anything that we can do to have community involvement … we’ll do it.”
- Community