Huntley American Legion upgrades facilities to draw young veterans

Draft beer, a remodeled bar and accessible bathrooms for people with disabilities are among the improvements underway to modernize the Huntley American Legion.

"We don't want to be stuck in the '50s, '60s or even '70s," said Mike Stojak, Post 673 commander and a Vietnam-era veteran. "We want to move forward. We want this place to be appreciated by the younger (veterans) coming in."

The legion is spending $500,000 to expand and renovate its downtown building at 11712 Coral St., adding roughly 400 square feet.

The remodeling work involves building a new bar area, reconstructing bathrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, adding 12 windows and an accessible ramp at the building entrance, and creating an outdoor seating area/garden - designed to attract younger veterans.

Initially, leaders only planned to build an outdoor seating area where patrons could watch events downtown. With added improvements, the price tag just kept going up.

Renovations are being funded through the legion's reserves from video gambling revenues and a bank loan.

"Ever since video gaming came in we've been doing well," said Stojak of the roughly $100,000 in yearly revenues since machines were installed in 2014. "Without a loan, we'd have been able to fund half of it."

Stojak hopes donations will help pay off the loan, though no fundraising events will be scheduled until after construction is complete.

Work is expected to be completed by April 1, though the bar and video gambling machines have been relocated into a smaller backroom while construction continues.

The legion has 270 members mostly from the Korean and Vietnam eras, a few veterans from World War II, and some Persian Gulf War veterans.

Newer veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars aren't really coming in, though they are dealing with many issues and traumas and could benefit from the legion's support, Stojak said.

This renovation is to help the legion prepare for that future, he added.

"They have somewhere to go," Stojak said. "When the guys came back from World War II, everybody was in the war. You had veterans all around you. The amount of veterans that are coming out now ... we're trying to get these younger members to join, show up."

Next year marks the American Legion's 100th anniversary.