VFW Post downsizing Building for sale, veterans seek smaller facility

Nov. 20--ROCHESTER -- The VFW Post 1772 building on Highland Street will close at the end of the month. The facility, which comprises two halls, a kitchen, offices and storage space, and parking for 95 vehicles on a three acre lot, is being offered for sale at $650,000, according to the post's longtime quartermaster, Dana Hussey.

Hussey stressed that the post is not being disbanded, and that the professional handling the real estate sale, Dale Sprague of Avalar, is looking for a smaller building for Post 1772 to purchase and continue its activities.

In accordance with protocol, Hussey said he first notified the VFW state commander, and then, after the local post's approval, mailed out 380 letters to Post 1772's membership to discuss and vote on the issue. That meeting was held on Nov. 3.

"Of the 380 letters I sent out, 15 people showed up for the vote," said Hussey.

That vote, 14-1 in favor of selling, with only Post 1772 Past Commander Curry Lashua, whose family is active in the military support group We Care Packers, casting a no vote.

Hussey explained that with the cost of kerosene and propane to heat the building, along with other utility costs, it cost $400 a day to open the doors.

The VFW's main source of revenue, which has no beer or liquor sales, has always been Bingo; five nights a week -- from Wednesday through Sunday. Two nights are dedicated to the VFW's own funds, and the other three are fundraisers for Victims, Inc., We Care Packers and Spaulding Hockey Boosters.

Bingos all over the state, according to Hussey, are experiencing a drop in revenue.

"Bingos are cutting back. Rockingham Park has closed, Weir's has knocked off a day, and Oxford Casino is killing Bingos in Maine," said Hussey. "People are now chasing the money, and calling up asking about jackpots. Crowds are down. Two years ago, we closed our back room."

"State Bingo regulations," added Hussey, "say the maximum that can be charged on groups, using the hall, is $5 a player."

Iff 40 people come to a We Care Packers Bingo night, Post 1772 can only charge them $200 for hall usage, although it costs $400 to open up for the day, Hussey explained.

The various Bingo groups have all accumulated cash in the form of ticket bonuses and carry-over carry-alls, in many cases adding up to several thousand dollars. All of this money, under state law, according to Hussey, must be distributed back to the Bingo players. He has submitted a proposal to the state of how the money will be dispersed, in the final days -- through various chance number devices -- and is waiting official approval.

Meanwhile, people are calling up the hall, asking on what nights the bonus cash must be won.

"I feel bad for all the charities, but I would feel worse if we couldn't pay our bills and lose the building," said Hussey.

In the 85-year history of Post 1772, this has happened before. The Post was once on River Street, but then moved, allegedly under city pressure, to Pickering Road.

"In the early '80s, we lost the hall on Pickering Road. The bank locked the doors and we lost the building. We don't want that to happen here, so I explained to the members that we do a controlled shut-down, so that we can control what happens to the building and to us," said Hussey.

The Post has been in the Highland Street building since 1995, having bought it, with help from the District 6 State Senator George Lovejoy, from a state agency, Developmental Services. With Bingo thriving in pre-internet days, the post was able to add on another hall. This addition has since been paid off.

This newer hall, apart from Bingo sessions, has also been used for political gatherings, Boy and Girl Scout groups, the Hackle and Tackle fishing club, the Ladies Auxiliary and Junior Girls, and, most significantly, as the city's Ward 1 polling station.

Now the VFW plans to sell off some of the furnishings and equipment that are judged to be surplus.

To this end, a yard sale at the post is planned for Saturday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29.

"We will move the stuff we need into a storage shed," said Hussey. Regular monthly meetings of the Post membership will continue, and currently, other organizations in the city are being approached to see if they can provide temporary accommodation.

Various groups that use the building are now trying to make alternative arrangements.

City Clerk Kelly Walters said that on Dec. 4 she is meeting with the Codes & Ordinances Committee to review the city's polling places. The loss of the VFW building as the Ward 1 polling station will also be raised.

Pat Rainboth, the executive director of the nonprofit Victims, Inc., speaking this week, said "We depend on Bingo. I don't know what we are going to do. There is not another hall in town that can take us at the moment. I'm in a crisis."

Rainboth added that Victims' Inc. had been at its Shoreyville Plaza office since 1991, and that something has always happened that has allowed them to pay the rent.

Donna Knapper, of the VFW Post 1112 Womens' Auxiliary, said that one of the last events in the current building will be the annual penny sale toward the end of November.

"We can't do what we used to do in the community, and that is sad. It is taking every cent to maintain the building," she said.

Added Quartermaster Hussey, "I was a guest at the VFW's 50th anniversary on River Street. I was the master of ceremonies at the 75th, and it will be the Post's 85th anniversary in January. I want to be emcee at the 100th."

After the doors of the building are officially closed on Nov. 30, the membership of Post 1772 will continue to meet, and they are currently asking other organizations in the city to consider hosting them.

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